How a weighted grade works
Most courses do not average your scores equally. Each component carries a weight — a final worth 40% counts four times as much as a quiz worth 10%. Your grade is the weighted average.
- Score
- Your percentage on that assessment
- Weight
- What proportion of the course it counts for
If the weights entered so far do not add to 100%, the calculator divides by the weight actually counted. That gives your grade on the work completed, which is what you want mid-semester.
6,065 ÷ 70 = 86.64%. That is a B on most scales, with 30% of the course still to come.
What you need on the final
This is the question everyone actually has. Rearranging the weighted average gives:
- Target
- The course grade you want
- Current
- Your grade so far, as a percentage
- Completed weight
- Total weight of everything already graded, as a decimal
- Final weight
- The final exam's weight, as a decimal
Above 100% means the target is out of reach unless extra credit exists. This calculator tells you which case you are in.
Letter grade scales
| Percentage | Letter | Grade points |
|---|---|---|
| 97–100 | A+ | 4.0 |
| 93–96 | A | 4.0 |
| 90–92 | A− | 3.7 |
| 87–89 | B+ | 3.3 |
| 83–86 | B | 3.0 |
| 80–82 | B− | 2.7 |
| 77–79 | C+ | 2.3 |
| 73–76 | C | 2.0 |
| 70–72 | C− | 1.7 |
| 67–69 | D+ | 1.3 |
| 63–66 | D | 1.0 |
| 60–62 | D− | 0.7 |
| Below 60 | F | 0.0 |
Some courses grade on a curve, where your letter depends on your position in the class rather than a fixed percentage. In that case the percentage here is still useful for tracking, but the letter is not predictable until the distribution is known.
To turn letter grades into a GPA across several courses, use the GPA calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my current grade?
Multiply each score by its weight, add those products, then divide by the total weight counted so far.
If your weights total less than 100% because work remains, dividing by the weight actually counted gives your grade on completed work — which is the useful figure mid-semester.
What do I need on the final to pass?
Needed = (Target − Current × Completed weight) ÷ Final weight. The calculator does this above once you enter the final's weight and your target.
If the answer exceeds 100%, the target is unreachable without extra credit.
What if my weights do not add up to 100%?
That is normal mid-semester — the remaining weight belongs to work not yet graded. The calculator divides by the weight actually counted, giving your standing on completed work.
If your weights exceed 100%, check the syllabus; something has been entered twice.
How does a dropped lowest grade work?
If your course drops the lowest quiz or assignment, simply leave it out of the list. Enter only the scores that will count.
Some courses replace the lowest midterm with the final score — in that case, model both scenarios and see which is better.
Does this work for weighted categories with several items?
Yes. Either enter each item with its individual weight, or average a category yourself and enter it as a single row with the category weight.
For example, if homework is 20% of the course and you averaged 88% across all assignments, enter one row: 88%, weight 20.