Test Grade Calculator
Enter points earned and points possible — the calculator divides the totals, which is not the same as averaging the individual percentages.
Points, not percentages
When a teacher grades on points, the total is a single pool: every point earned counts once, no matter which test it came from. That means a 50-point test and a 20-point quiz are not equally important, and averaging their percentages gets the wrong answer.
Test grade = Σ(points earned) ÷ Σ(points possible) × 100
Worked example
| Test | Earned | Possible | That test alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 45 | 50 | 90.0% |
| Unit 2 | 18 | 30 | 60.0% |
| Unit 3 | 56 | 60 | 93.3% |
| Total | 119 | 140 | 85.0% |
119 ÷ 140 = 85.0%. Average the three percentages instead and you get 81.1% — four points lower, because that method gives the 30-point test the same say as the 60-point test. The pooled answer is the one a points-based gradebook uses.
85.0% sits in the B band on the standard table (83–86), which is what the letter-equivalent line in the result note reports.
When to use this instead of the grade calculator
- Use this page when the syllabus says "total points" or when the gradebook shows a single running points total.
- Use the grade calculator when the syllabus gives category weights — homework 20%, quizzes 30%, exams 50% — because those categories are not proportional to their point totals.
- Use neither when the syllabus has drop-lowest, replacement or curve rules; those change which points count, and you have to apply the rule before entering anything.
Letter equivalents are an approximation
The result note maps the percentage to a letter using the common US bands: 93+ = A, 90–92 = A−, 87–89 = B+, 83–86 = B, 80–82 = B−, 77–79 = C+, 73–76 = C, and so on down to F below 60. Schools differ at the boundaries, and some do not use plus/minus at all. The percentage is the real answer; the letter is a convenience.
Common questions
How do I handle extra credit points?
Add them to points earned and leave points possible unchanged. If a test is out of 50 and you got 48 plus 3 bonus points, enter 51 earned and 50 possible — the result can exceed 100%, which is correct for that test.
What about half points, like 27.5 out of 40?
Enter them as decimals. The calculator does not round intermediate values, only the final percentage, so 27.5 and 27 produce different results — as they should.
My teacher drops the lowest test. Which rows do I enter?
Only the tests that will count. Dropping happens before the total is computed, so entering a dropped test — even a bad one — makes your average look worse than the gradebook will show.
Does a curved test change this calculation?
Yes. If the raw score is curved upward before it is recorded, enter the curved score, because that is the number in the gradebook. If the curve applies to the final course total instead, apply it after using this page.