Grade Calculator
Enter your scores and category weights to see your weighted course grade, letter grade, and GPA equivalent. The reverse-solve section tells you exactly what score you need on your final exam to reach any target grade. All results update as you type.
How weighted grades work
Most courses do not treat all assignments equally. A final exam worth 30% of your grade has three times the impact of a homework category worth 10%. Weighted grade calculators handle this by multiplying each category score by its weight, summing the products, and dividing by the total weight. That gives the average as if the more important categories had more items. If your weights sum to exactly 100, the formula simplifies to: course grade = sum of (score x weight / 100). If only part of the course is complete, the calculator divides by the weights entered so far, giving your average on the work done to date.
What score do I need on the final exam?
The reverse-solve formula rearranges the weighted average equation to isolate the unknown final-exam score. If your pre-final weighted contributions total P and your final carries weight W%, the required score is: needed = (target x total weight / 100 - P) / (W / 100). For example, if you have 62 points from pre-final work, your total weight is 100, your final is worth 30%, and you want a 90% overall, you need (90 - 62) / 0.30 = 93.3% on the final. Results above 100 mean the target is out of reach from the final alone; results below 0 mean you have already secured the target even with a zero on the final.
Letter grades and GPA quality points
US institutions convert percentage grades to letter grades and then to quality points on the 4.0 GPA scale. The mapping varies slightly between institutions, but the standard scale used here is the most common: 93-100 earns an A (4.0), 90-92 earns an A- (3.7), 87-89 earns a B+ (3.3), and so on down to below 60 for an F (0.0). Your cumulative GPA is the credit-weighted average of the quality points from every course. This calculator shows the quality points for a single course; use a GPA calculator to combine multiple courses.
Tips for using this calculator mid-semester
You do not need to wait until the end of term. Enter your scores for completed categories and set the weights of unfinished categories to zero. The weighted grade shows your current standing based only on the work graded so far. To project your final grade, enter your best estimate for upcoming assignments. Use the "What score do I need?" section to find out exactly how well you have to do on the remaining high-stakes items to hit your target. Re-run the calculator each time grades are returned to keep your projection up to date.
Standard US grading scale
| Percentage | Letter grade | GPA points | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97-100 | A+ | 4.0 | Outstanding |
| 93-96 | A | 4.0 | Excellent |
| 90-92 | A- | 3.7 | Very good |
| 87-89 | B+ | 3.3 | Above average |
| 83-86 | B | 3.0 | Good |
| 80-82 | B- | 2.7 | Above average |
| 77-79 | C+ | 2.3 | Average |
| 73-76 | C | 2.0 | Satisfactory |
| 70-72 | C- | 1.7 | Below average |
| 67-69 | D+ | 1.3 | Poor |
| 63-66 | D | 1.0 | Barely passing |
| 60-62 | D- | 0.7 | Barely passing |
| 0-59 | F | 0.0 | Failing |
Most US colleges and high schools use this mapping from percentage scores to letter grades and 4.0 GPA quality points.
Frequently asked questions
What is a weighted grade?
A weighted grade assigns different importance to different categories of work. Instead of averaging every assignment equally, categories such as exams or projects are given larger percentage weights, so they count more toward your final course grade. The weighted average is calculated as the sum of each category score multiplied by its weight percentage, divided by the sum of all weights.
What if my weights do not add up to 100?
If you have not entered all categories, the calculator divides by the sum of the weights you have entered, not by 100. This gives your current grade based only on the work completed so far. It is useful mid-semester but will not predict your final grade unless all categories are included. You can always set unused categories to a weight of 0 to exclude them.
How do I calculate the score I need on my final exam?
Rearrange the weighted average formula to solve for the unknown final-exam score. Needed final score = (target course grade x total weight / 100 - sum of pre-final weighted contributions) divided by (final exam weight / 100). This calculator does the algebra for you. Enter your current scores and weights, then set your target grade to see the result.
What is the difference between a letter grade and a GPA?
A letter grade (A, B+, C, etc.) describes your performance in a single course using a symbolic scale. GPA (Grade Point Average) is a number on the 4.0 scale that summarises your academic performance across multiple courses, weighted by credit hours. Each letter grade maps to a number of quality points: A equals 4.0, B equals 3.0, C equals 2.0, D equals 1.0, and F equals 0. Your cumulative GPA is the credit-weighted mean of the quality points from all courses.
Can I use this for high school and college courses?
Yes. The weighted average formula and the standard US grading scale apply to most high school and college courses. A few institutions use non-standard scales or plus/minus grades differently - check your syllabus or student handbook if your class uses a different letter-grade cutoff.
What happens if I need more than 100% on the final?
If the "score needed on final" result is above 100%, the target overall grade is mathematically impossible to reach through the final exam alone at the current weights. In that situation, ask your instructor about extra credit, grade curves, or whether any category weights will change. If the result is below 0%, you have already locked in the target grade even if you score zero on the final.