Why use Weighted Grade Calculator
A weighted grade is the sum of each grade times its weight, divided by the sum of the weights. For homework 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 15%, a midterm 78 at 25%, a project 95 at 15% and a final 88 at 25%, that is 8,690 / 100 = 86.9%, a B. Enter your own list one item per line and this page returns that figure, the letter grade, the plain unweighted average for comparison and a table of how many points each item contributed. If your weights total less than 100 because some work is not graded yet, it also shows the average you need on the rest for each letter grade.
Weighted grade formula
Weighted grade = (g1 x w1 + g2 x w2 + ... + gn x wn) / (w1 + w2 + ... + wn)
Each g is a grade as a percentage and each w is its weight. For the sample list: 92 x 20 = 1,840. 85 x 15 = 1,275. 78 x 25 = 1,950. 95 x 15 = 1,425. 88 x 25 = 2,200. The products add up to 8,690 and the weights add up to 100, so the result is 86.9%. Dividing by the total weight rather than by a fixed 100 is what makes the same formula work for a half-finished course and for weights given as points or credits.
Weighted grade examples
Inputs are shown as typed into Grades and weights, with lines separated here by slashes.
A full course with five categories
Homework, 92, 20 / Quizzes, 85, 15 / Midterm, 78, 25 / Project, 95, 15 / Final exam, 88, 25
Weighted grade 86.9%, letter grade B, total weight 100%, unweighted average 87.6%
Points contributed: 18.4, 12.75, 19.5, 14.25 and 22, which add up to 86.9.
Part-way through the term
Homework, 92, 20 / Quizzes, 85, 15 / Midterm, 78, 25, with target 90
Weighted grade so far 84.42% (B), total weight 60%, course points earned 50.65 of 60, average needed on the rest for 90%: 98.38%
The page adds a table for every letter grade. Here a B needs 80.88% on the remaining 40% and a C needs 55.88%.
Four items graded, 30% still to come
Homework, 95, 10 / Labs, 88, 20 / Midterm 1, 74, 20 / Midterm 2, 81, 20, with target 80
Weighted grade so far 83% (B), course points earned 58.1 of 70, average needed on the rest for 80%: 73%
Points and percent signs mixed
44/50, 30% / 88%, 70%
Weighted grade 88% (B+). Both lines are read as 88% and labeled Item 1 and Item 2.
Weights given as points possible
Exam 1, 80, 100 / Exam 2, 90, 100 / Homework, 95, 50, with Weights are set to Relative
Weighted grade 87% (B+), total weight 250. Each exam counts for 40% and homework for 20%.
Relative weights such as 3 parts to 1
Test, 90, 3 / Quiz, 80, 1, with Weights are set to Relative
Weighted grade 87.5% (B+), total weight 4
When the weights total less than 100, or more
Weights below 100 nearly always mean the course is not finished. The figure labeled Weighted grade so far is your average on the graded work only. It is the grade you would end with if you kept performing at the same level, not a guaranteed result. Alongside it you get Course points earned, the points out of 100 that are already locked in, and Weight still to come. In the 60% example, 50.65 points are locked in, so the course can still finish anywhere from 50.65% (zeros on everything left) to 90.65% (perfect scores on everything left).
The table of averages needed on the rest uses the same arithmetic as a final exam calculation: (target - points earned) / remaining weight. A figure above 100% is marked as not reachable without extra credit and a figure at or below 0% as already secured.
Weights above 100 usually mean a typing slip, a category entered twice, or weights that were never percentages in the first place. With Percent selected, the calculator still divides by the total you entered and shows a warning so that you can check the list. If the numbers are points possible, credits or parts, choose Relative: the result is identical, and the warning and the remaining-work figures are left out because they do not apply.
Percentage to letter grade scale used here
The letter grade comes from this common US plus/minus scale. Treat it as a default assumption: plenty of courses use plain 90/80/70/60 bands or their own cut-offs.
| Letter | Weighted grade range |
|---|---|
| A | 93% and above |
| A- | 90% to under 93% |
| B+ | 87% to under 90% |
| B | 83% to under 87% |
| B- | 80% to under 83% |
| C+ | 77% to under 80% |
| C | 73% to under 77% |
| C- | 70% to under 73% |
| D+ | 67% to under 70% |
| D | 63% to under 67% |
| D- | 60% to under 63% |
| F | Under 60% |
Nothing is rounded up before the letter is chosen. A grade of 89.999% displays as 90% because percentages are shown to two decimals, but it is still a B+.
Limits and input rules
- Grades must be numbers. Letter grades such as B+ are not accepted as input, because converting a letter to a percentage would be a guess.
- Every weight must be greater than zero. Leave ungraded items out instead of entering a weight of 0 or a blank grade.
- Names cannot contain commas, since commas separate the three parts of a line. A line with more than three parts stops the calculation with a message naming it.
- Grades above 100 are allowed for extra credit: a 110 at 10% with a 90 at 90% gives 92%.
- Dropped lowest scores, curves and category rules such as best 8 of 10 quizzes are not applied. Enter the category average your gradebook already shows.
- This gives a percentage and a letter, not grade points. For a GPA from letter grades and credit hours, use the GPA calculator.
How to use it
- 1
In Grades and weights, type one item per line as name, grade, weight, for example: Midterm, 78, 25.
- 2
Write the grade as a percentage (78 or 78%) or as points earned over points possible (39/50).
- 3
Leave the name out if you like: a line such as 78, 25 is labeled Item 1, Item 2 and so on.
- 4
Keep Weights are on Percent of the course grade when the weights come from a syllabus. Switch to Relative if they are points, parts or credits that are not meant to total 100.
- 5
Optionally set Target course grade. It is used only when percent weights total less than 100.
- 6
Read the Result panel, then check the Breakdown table to confirm every line was read as intended.