Grade calculator

Convert earned points into a percentage

Use this calculator for an exam or assessment with a known maximum point total. Enter points earned and points possible. The percentage is earned ÷ possible × 100, and missed points are possible minus earned. Both values can include decimals when partial credit is used.

The calculator intentionally does not assign a letter grade. A percentage-to-letter boundary is a policy choice, and the same score may receive different letters in different courses. Extra credit above the stated maximum is also outside this basic model. For equal-value questions, the number correct and the total question count can serve as the two point inputs.

Two ways to read the same score

A score of 42 out of 50 equals 84%. Eight points were missed. On a 25-question equal-value test, 21 correct answers produce the same percentage. The shared ratio is 0.84 even though the raw point totals differ.

If some questions carry more points, counting correct answers alone is misleading. Getting one ten-point question wrong has a different effect from getting one one-point question wrong. Add the actual awarded points first, then divide by the actual possible points. If a teacher removes a question from scoring, update both the earned and possible totals according to the published adjustment.

Frequently asked questions

Why must the possible points be positive?

A zero denominator has no percentage result. A cancelled assessment needs a course policy, not division by zero.

Can I combine several assignments here?

You can enter their summed points, but the assignment tool makes each contribution easier to check.

Is 84% automatically a B?

No letter is assigned. Use your syllabus or school’s grading table.

Before you compare this result with a transcript

Keep three different quantities separate: the percentage earned on an assessment, the weight of that assessment in a course, and the credit hours assigned to the course. They answer different questions. A score of 90% on a quiz does not automatically mean a 3.6 GPA, and a four-credit course does not mean that its final exam is worth four times another exam.

Start with the syllabus for assessment weights and the registrar's published grading rules for transcript calculations. If a gradebook shows a running average, check whether it ignores ungraded work or treats it as zero. Entering a zero-inclusive average into a tool that expects the average of completed work counts the unfinished work twice. When unsure, calculate the completed components separately before planning a target.

The displayed answer is rounded for readability; intermediate arithmetic retains its precision. A school may truncate instead of round, use a different plus/minus scale, replace a repeated grade, or exclude certain courses. Our generic model does not decide those policies. For example, the University of Illinois registrar describes its own quality-point calculation and transcript treatment. Its grade scale is not identical to the scale in this tool.

Use hypothetical changes to answer one question at a time. Change a score while keeping the weights fixed, then compare the resulting total. Changing both the score and the weight makes it harder to understand which change caused the result. Record the assumptions alongside a saved result so a later comparison remains meaningful.

For scholarship, progression, or graduation decisions, obtain the official calculation from your institution. This tool checks arithmetic and illustrates scenarios; it does not certify academic standing. If your transcript differs, first compare included credits, course exclusions, repeat treatment, and rounding before assuming either calculation has an arithmetic error.

Using and checking the result

All inputs and arithmetic on this page stay in the current browser. Switching between English and Chinese keeps the current form values in memory during navigation. Reloading the site restores the example. The toolkit does not save calculation inputs in cookies or browser storage, and the usage event records only that a calculation was completed, not the values or answer.

The initial values are a worked example, not a suggestion about your personal situation. Replace every relevant field before using the answer. Editing a field clears the previous result so it is not mistaken for a calculation using the new values. Use Reset example to return to the starting illustration.

If a result appears unexpected, repeat a small example by hand. Check units, signs, endpoints, and whether a percentage was entered as 30 rather than 0.30. To report an issue, use the contact form with non-sensitive sample inputs, the answer you expected, and the steps that produced the difference. Do not include private academic records or identifying details.

Check the model with a small sensitivity test

Before using a target as a plan, test how much one input can change the answer. In a weighted course, improving an assessment by ten percentage points changes the course total by ten multiplied by its fractional weight. At a twenty-percent weight, that improvement adds two course percentage points. This gives an independent scale check without repeating every calculation.

For a points-based gradebook, one extra earned point changes the percentage by one hundred divided by total possible points, while the denominator stays fixed. With two hundred possible points, one earned point is worth half a percentage point. If you instead add a new assignment, the denominator changes as well, so this shortcut no longer describes the full change. Recalculate the complete totals.

Use bounds as another check. An ordinary weighted average with positive weights must fall between the smallest and largest scores included. A required future score is different: it is an algebraic target and can legitimately exceed one hundred or fall below zero. Confusing those two types of answer can make a mathematically correct result look like a bug.

Finally, separate a numerical target from a course requirement. Reaching the requested percentage does not prove that attendance, minimum component scores, submission rules, or other requirements have been met. Keep the target calculation alongside the syllabus rather than replacing the syllabus with the result. If a course applies a nonlinear curve, first obtain the actual transformation and then decide whether a linear weighted model remains useful for your question.