Grade Calculator

How to work it out yourself

1. 1.To work out what you need on the final, enter your grade so far, what the final is worth, and the grade you are aiming at.
2. 2.Read the reachable line before the needed line. If the best case is under your target, no score on the final gets you there and the honest answer is a different target.
3. 3.To work out where you stand instead, switch modes and enter each category with its weight from the syllabus. Weights that do not sum to 100 are treated as a grade on what has been marked so far.
4. 4.Treat the letter as a convenience. A 90-point A and a 93-point A are both common, and only your syllabus says which one you are on.

The formula

1. Weights enteredw1 + w2 + w3 + w4
2. Weighted average(w1 * s1 + w2 * s2 + w3 * s3 + w4 * s4) / max(weight_total, 0.0001)
3. Points already bankedcurrent * (1 - fw)
4. Score needed on the final(target - locked) / max(fw, 0.0001)
5. Best grade still reachablelocked + 100 * fw
6. Grade if the final is failed outrightlocked
7. The target is reachableneeded <= 100 ? 1 : 0
8. Answermode_final * needed + mode_weighted * weighted_grade
9. Grade points on a 4.0 scaleresult >= 90 ? 4 : (result >= 80 ? 3 : (result >= 70 ? 2 : (result >= 60 ? 1 : 0)))

Source: US Department of Education — grade point average in federal student aid, AACRAO — academic record and transcript guide, grading practices

Questions people actually ask

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

Then the target is out of reach, and the calculator says so rather than printing a number you cannot score. On the example above an A needs 104%. This is the single most useful thing this calculation does, and it is worth doing in week ten rather than the night before.

How much can the final actually move my grade?

By exactly its weight. A final worth 30% can move the course grade at most 30 points, from the worst case where you score zero to the best case where you score full marks. Both ends are printed above, and the gap between them is the whole stake.

Why is my weighted average different from the average of my scores?

Because the categories are not equal. A 95% on homework worth 20% contributes 19 points; a 78% on a midterm worth 25% contributes 19.5. Averaging the percentages instead treats a quiz and a midterm as the same thing, which is the error this calculation exists to avoid.

Do the weights have to add to 100?

Not here. The average is divided by the weights you entered, so leaving out categories that have not been graded gives your standing on the work that has been marked. Enter every category with its real weight to see the projected final grade instead.

Is the letter grade reliable?

Only as a default. The 90/80/70/60 scale is the common one in US schools, but plenty of courses use 93 for an A, apply a curve, or drop the lowest score first. The percentage is the number to argue from; the letter follows whatever your syllabus says.

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