Grade Calculator

Calculate grades, required scores, weighted averages, and overall course performance.

Grade Calculator

Calculate your current overall grade in a course from the scores and weights of the work you have completed. The calculator combines homework, quizzes, and exams into a single percentage using each category's share of the final grade.

Grade formula

When a syllabus assigns weights to categories, the course grade is a weighted average:

grade = sum(category score x category weight)

with weights expressed as decimals that sum to 1 (or percentages that sum to 100%). If some work has not been graded yet, divide by the total weight completed so far to get your current standing:

current grade = sum(score x weight) / sum(weights completed)

If a course uses simple points instead of weights, the grade is just points earned / points possible x 100. Letter-grade cutoffs — such as 90% for an A or 80% for a B — differ between schools and even between instructors, so read the syllabus rather than assuming a standard scale.

Worked example

A syllabus weights the course as homework 20%, quizzes 20%, midterm 25%, and final exam 35%. A student has a 92 homework average, an 85 quiz average, a 78 on the midterm, and an 88 on the final:

  • Homework: 92 x 0.20 = 18.4
  • Quizzes: 85 x 0.20 = 17.0
  • Midterm: 78 x 0.25 = 19.5
  • Final exam: 88 x 0.35 = 30.8

The overall grade is 18.4 + 17.0 + 19.5 + 30.8 = 85.7%. Note how the weak midterm costs less than it would in an unweighted average, because the final exam carries more weight and went better. Before the final was taken, the same student's current grade would have been (18.4 + 17.0 + 19.5) / 0.65 = 54.9 / 0.65 = 84.5%.

When to use this calculator

  • Mid-semester check-ins: converting a stack of returned assignments into one number that shows where you actually stand.
  • Deciding where to focus study time by testing how a better quiz average or exam score would change the total.
  • Verifying the grade shown in a learning management system, which sometimes handles ungraded items differently than you expect.
  • Estimating your standing before the drop deadline so you can make an informed decision about staying in a course.

Tips for accurate results

  • Copy category weights straight from the syllabus and confirm they sum to 100%.
  • Average the scores within a category first, then apply that category's weight once.
  • Check whether your instructor drops the lowest quiz or homework score before averaging.
  • Treat missing work as a zero only if it is actually past due; ungraded future work should be left out of the current-grade calculation.
  • Keep scores as percentages, not raw points, when categories have different point totals.

Related calculators

To find the score you still need on a final exam, use the final grade calculator. The assignment grade calculator handles single assignments, and the CGPA calculator aggregates results across semesters. For quick arithmetic, see the basic calculator and the equation solver.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate my grade with weighted categories?
Average your scores within each category, multiply each category average by its weight from the syllabus, and add the results. For example, a 92 homework average worth 20% contributes 18.4 points to the overall grade. The category weights should sum to 100%.
How do I find my current grade when some work is ungraded?
Sum the weighted scores for completed categories only, then divide by the total weight of those categories. If you have 54.9 weighted points across categories worth 65% of the course, your current standing is 54.9 / 0.65 = 84.5%. This avoids counting future work as zeros.
Should missing assignments be entered as zero?
Enter a zero only for work that is past due and will not be accepted, since it genuinely drags down the category average. Work that has not been assigned or graded yet should be left out, and your current grade computed from completed weight only. Learning management systems differ on this, which is why their displayed grade sometimes disagrees with a hand calculation.
What percentage do I need for an A or a B?
Cutoffs are set by each instructor, not by a universal standard. A common US convention is 90% for an A and 80% for a B, but many courses use plus/minus bands, curves, or different thresholds entirely. Read the grading scale section of your syllabus for the authoritative cutoffs.
What if my course uses total points instead of weights?
In a points-based course, divide the points you have earned by the points possible so far and multiply by 100. A 30-point quiz and a 100-point exam then influence the grade in proportion to their point values, so no separate weighting step is needed.
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