Grade Calculator

Use this calculator to find out the grade of a course based on weighted averages. This calculator accepts both numerical as well as letter grades. It also can calculate the grade needed for the remaining assignments in order to get a desired grade for an ongoing course.

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Final Grade Calculator

Use this calculator to find out the grade needed on the final exam in order to get a desired grade in a course. It accepts letter grades, percentage grades, and other numerical inputs.

The calculators above use the following letter grades and their typical corresponding numerical equivalents based on grade points.

Letter GradeGPAPercentage
A+4.397-100%
A493-96%
A-3.790-92%
B+3.387-89%
B383-86%
B-2.780-82%
C+2.377-79%
C273-76%
C-1.770-72%
D+1.367-69%
D163-66%
D-0.760-62%
F00-59%

Brief history of different grading systems

Early grading was inconsistent and subjective: in 1785 Yale ranked students from "optimi" down to "pejores," William and Mary used simply No. 1 or No. 2, and Harvard graded numerically on scales that varied by subject before switching to a system of Classes I through V. In 1887, Mount Holyoke College became the first to use letter grades similar to today's A–E scale (with E, later F, as failing—originally anything below 75%). Letter grading spread through colleges and high schools and remains the most common system in the United States, though schools still differ on what counts as an A and whether pluses and minuses are used.

An alternative to the letter grading system

Letter grades generalize performance conveniently and work well where answers are easily quantified, but they give little feedback on subjective work like essays. A written analysis of each student's work can be more useful, yet it is time-consuming and may go unread; a few schools, such as Saint Ann's School in New York City, use anecdotal teacher reports instead of letter grades. Such approaches remain a minority, so most students still work within a fairly standard letter grading system—though many educators try to combine both, standardizing evaluation while keeping the focus on learning and improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I mix letter grades and percentages?
Yes. In the default "Points, percentage, mix" format, each grade field accepts either a number or a letter such as B+.
What if my weights are points instead of percentages?
Open Settings and switch the Weight Format to Points; the average is then weighted by points in exactly the same way.

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