Grade Calculator

What this grade calculator does

This grade calculator works out your current course grade from weighted categories such as homework, quizzes, a midterm and a final exam, then turns it into a letter grade. Switch to the second tab and it answers the question most students actually have near the end of term: what score do I need on the final to finish with the grade I want?

It handles scores entered as percentages or as points (for example 45 out of 50), categories that haven’t been graded yet, and weights that don’t add up to exactly 100%.

How to use the grade calculator

1. List each category from your syllabus and its weight. A typical course might be homework 20%, quizzes 20%, midterm 25% and final exam 35%. Press Use a typical course to start from that example.
2. Enter your score for each category as a percentage, or switch to Points and type points earned and points possible.
3. Leave a score empty if it hasn’t been graded yet. The calculator shows your grade on the work marked so far.
4. Pick the grading scale your school uses to see the matching letter grade.
5. Open What I need on the final, enter your current grade, the final’s weight and your target, and read the score you need.

How the weighted grade is calculated

Each category contributes its score multiplied by its weight. The calculator adds those up and divides by the total weight of the categories you’ve scored:

grade = (score₁ × weight₁ + score₂ × weight₂ + …) ÷ (weight₁ + weight₂ + …)

Example: homework 92% (20%), quizzes 85% (20%) and a midterm of 78% (25%). That’s 92 × 20 + 85 × 20 + 78 × 25 = 5,490. Divide by the 65% graded so far and your current grade is 84.46%, a B on the plus/minus scale.

Dividing by the graded weight rather than by 100 matters. If you divided by 100, the ungraded final would count as a zero and your grade would look like 54.9%, which is misleading.

What score do I need on the final?

Your final grade is your current grade weighted by everything except the final, plus the final exam score weighted by its share:

needed = (target − current × (1 − final weight)) ÷ final weight

With a current grade of 84%, a final worth 30% and a target of 90%, you need (90 − 84 × 0.7) ÷ 0.3 = 104%. That isn’t possible, so the calculator tells you and shows what you can still reach: a B+ needs 94% on the final, and a B needs about 81%. It also shows your worst case (a zero on the final) and your best case (100%).

Grading scales

Schools draw the line between letters in different places. The calculator includes three common scales:

Scale	How it works
US plus/minus	A 93–96, A− 90–92, B+ 87–89 and so on, down to F below 60.
Simple 10-point	A 90+, B 80+, C 70+, D 60+, F below 60.
UK university	First 70+, 2:1 60+, 2:2 50+, Third 40+, Fail below 40.

Letter bands in the US are explained in more detail in this overview of US academic grading. Your syllabus has the final word. If your teacher rounds 89.5 up to an A−, that’s their policy, not something a calculator can know.

Related tools

Turn a score like 43 out of 50 into a percentage with the Percentage Calculator, work with fractional marks in the Fraction Calculator, and check exam arithmetic on the Scientific Calculator. For the full explanation of weighted and unweighted grading, read our guide on how grades are calculated.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my grade if the weights don’t add up to 100%?

The calculator divides by the total weight you entered, so the result is still a correct weighted average. Check your syllabus, though: weights that don’t total 100% usually mean a category is missing.

What’s the difference between weighted and unweighted grades?

An unweighted grade treats every assignment or point equally. A weighted grade gives some categories more influence, so a final worth 35% moves your grade more than homework worth 10%.

Can I enter points instead of percentages?

Yes. Switch to Points and type points earned and points possible for each category, such as 45 out of 50. The grade calculator converts them to percentages for you.

Why does my grade look low before the final?

If you add up weighted scores and divide by 100, ungraded work counts as zero. This calculator only divides by the weight that’s been graded, so your current grade reflects your actual performance so far.

Is 89.5% an A or a B?

On the plus/minus scale it’s a B+, unless your teacher rounds up. Many do round to the nearest whole number, but it’s a class policy, so check the syllabus.

What if I need more than 100% on the final?

Then your target isn’t reachable through the final alone. Look at the table of other targets to see what you can still achieve, or ask whether extra credit or a curve is available.