Created By : Jatin Gogia
Reviewed By : Rajasekhar Valipishetty
Last Updated : May 22, 2023
Grades help in the determination of your success during your academic sessions. But this work is generally done by the teachers. Sometimes it is important for the students as well to know the ways how you can calculate the grades. It is necessary to understand the basic mathematics used in the calculations of grades.
Here, in the below article, we are providing you with the complete information on how to calculate grades, grade charts, methods to calculate grades, and a lot more.
Grades are a way to measure the student's performance in class. It tells the instructor how much the student has understood the concept and what are the concepts in which the student is lagging behind. These are also unique ways of transferring information about the student’s performance to third parties such as parents, departments, and more. You can refer to the below grade chart to have an idea about your performance in the class.
With the help of the below grade chart you can have an idea about the meaning of letter grades which you will see in your report card.
| Grades | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A, A+, A- | The highest mark you can achieve. Excellent! |
| B, B+, B- | 80% to 89% mark: Good job. |
| C, C+, C- | Ranges from 70% to 79%: Satisfactory results. |
| D, D+, D- | Requires more effort, but still considered. |
| P | Pass |
| S | Satisfactory |
| U | Unsatisfactory |
| W | Withdrew |
| I | Incomplete |
| R | Repeat |
| F | Fail |
| * | No grade available |
To calculate the grade you are just required to find the percentile score and then refer to it in the grade chart you can calculate the grades.
The percentile score can be found out by,
=> Score = Total Number of Scores Earned by the Student / Total Number of Possible Points
Using this below-provided table, you can also understand the concept of how you can calculate the grades.
| Assessment | Grade Points | Weight | Total | Possible Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homework (16 Assignments) | 150 points | 10% | 15 | 16 |
| Quizzes (10 Quizzes) | 100 points | 15% | 15 | 15 |
| Unit Tests (10 Tests) | 90 points | 25% | 22.5 | 25 |
| Final Exam (1) | 95 points | 50% | 47.5 | 50 |
| Total | 435 Points (out of 450) | – | 100 | 106 |
Total percentage = Total Weighted Points Earned / Total Weighted Points Possible:
=> Total percentage = 100 ÷ 106 = 0.94
Referring the below table we get, 94% for a grade A.
Using this below provided chart you can find the grades corresponding to the percentages.
| Letter Grade | Percentile |
|---|---|
| A+ | 97-100 |
| A | 93-96 |
| A- | 90-92 |
| B+ | 87-89 |
| B | 83-86 |
| B- | 80-82 |
| C+ | 77-79 |
| C | 73-76 |
| C- | 70-72 |
| D+ | 67-69 |
| D | 63-66 |
| D- | 60-62 |
| F | Below 60 |
To calculate your final grades, you need to know the three important things current course grade, desired course grade, percentage weight applied to the final exam. Let’s understand this using an example.
Example:
Current Course Grade = 88%
Desired Course Grade = 90%
Percentage Weight of Your Final Exam = 30%
Solution:
Now, to determine the weight of the current course grade. You need to subtract the final exam weight percentage from 100% (taken as a whole).
=> 100% (Total course) – 30% (Final Exam)= 70% (weight of current grade in course)
Current course grade X weight of current grade in course (as a decimal)
=> Weighted Value of Current Grade = 88 X .7 = 61.6
Desired grade – weighted value of your current grade
=> 90 – 61.6 = 28.4 (Desired Grade = 90: Given)
Final Grade = (Desired grade – weighted value of your current grade) / weight of the final exam
=> Final Grade = 28.4/0.3
=> Final grade = 94.7%
Hence, the final grades are 94.7%.
There are around 4 ways using which you can use to calculate the grades. You can refer to these methods in detail here below.
1. Point System
This is one of the common methods to calculate the grades for the students. It is also known as an unweighted grading system. Suppose a student has earned 175 points and the total points are 200.
Using the point grading system you can easily calculate the grade points using this formula: Points = Points Earned / Total Points
Now, you can guess the points by calculating the percentage for the student. Such as
Percentage = (Points Earned / total points) x 100
=> Percneatge = (175/200) x 100
=> Percentage = 0.875 x 100 = 87.5%
Now, you can find your grades by comparing percentages to the relevant grading system as referred by the institution. In the case of an unweighted system of grading 4.0 scale is commonly used.
2. Weighted Grades
This system is also similar to the points based, as you have points earned in your hand but those points will be worth different amounts based on what category it falls into. In this method the subjects hold more importance in that, you must score a higher percentage as compared to those which are of a lower level.
The weightage of the higher courses is completely dependent on the teacher for some homework is important and for some final exams can be important. Let’s say the points and which are earned by the student are:
| Subjects | Points | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Homework | 20 | 90% |
| Test | 30 | 85% |
| Participation | 10 | 95% |
| Final Exams | 40 | 80% |
To convert these points and grades to a number, you need to multiply the points by grades in decimals.
| Subjects | Points | Grades | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 20 | 90% | 20 x 0.90 = 18 |
| Test | 30 | 85% | 30 x 0.80 = 25.5 |
| Participation | 10 | 95% | 10 x 0.95 = 9.5 |
| Final Exams | 40 | 80% | 40 x 0.80 = 32 |
| Total | 85% |
To get the percentage of the sessions. You need to add all the total score which is 85%. Now, you may compare this percentage using the grade chartTotal Score
3. Raising Your Grade
If you want to raise your grades with respect to the point-based system you need to check the letter grade you want in the class overall and the corresponding percentage. For this focus on the categories which are more weighted. You may ask your teacher.
You must know that if the points available are small then the number of points needed to gain that grade is. Then you won’t be able to achieve a high grade without some extra credit.
| Subjects | Weight |
|---|---|
| Homework | 20% + Extra Credit |
| Test | 30% |
| Participation | 10% |
| Final Exams | 40% |
This you may ask your teacher about the category for the higher grade so that you can earn extra credit from the teachers.
4. Percentage Method
In this method the grades are calculated using the percentage scale. This scale is based on 100% value. The percentages are based on the scores earned by the student during the academic sessions. The percentages can be calculated by,
=> Percentages = (Number of points earned / Total number of points) x 100
Now, using this percentage value refer to the 10-point grade card and calculate your grades.
| Letter Grade | Marks (%) | Grade Point |
|---|---|---|
| O (Outstanding) | 80 and above | 10 |
| A | 75 to 79.99 | 9 |
| B | 70 to 74.99 | 8 |
| C | 60 to 69.99 | 7 |
| D | 50 to 59.99 | 6 |
| E | 45 to 49.99 | 5 |
| P | 40 to 44.99 | 4 |
| F (Fail) | 39.99 and below | 0 |
Example 1:
Current grade = 70%
Final exam weight = 50%.
Required grade = 80%
Solution:
Using the below final exam grade formula we can find your grades.
=> Final exam grade = ( required grade - (100% - Final exam weight)×current grade ) / weight
=> Final exam Grades = ( 80% - (100% - 50%)×70% ) / 50% = 90%
Hence, we get 90% as the final grade which correspond
Example 2:
Assignment 1: weight =50%, grade =16 out of 20.
Assignment 2: weight =30%, maximum grade=30.
Assignment 3: weight =20%, maximum grade=40.
In assignments, 2 and 3 find the average grades which are required to get a class grade of 85%.
Solution:
To find the average grade we need to find,
For assignment 1,
=> Current grade Assignment 1 = grade / maximum grade
=> 16/20 = 0.8 = 80%
Required grade = 85%
Now, to find the exam weight for the formal exams. We will use the final exam weight formula:
=> Final exam weight = weight 2 + weight 3 = 30%+20% = 50%
Final exam grade = ( required grade - (100% - Final exam weight)×current grade ) / weight
=> Final Exam Grade = ( 85% - (100 % - 50%) × 80% ) / 50% = 90%
Thus, the calculations show that you need to score a 90% average grade in assignment 2 and 3, to get the required grade of 85%.
Thus, you can calculate the grades for assignment 2 and 3 as follows:
=> Assignment 2 grade = 90% × max grade = 90% × 30 = 27
=> Assignment 3 grade = 90% × max grade = 90% × 40 = 36
1. What are the methods used to calculate the grades?
There are 4 methods using which you can calculate your grades.
2. What are the commonly used letters used in the grading system?
The letters such as A, B, C, D, and F are used in the grading system. F means Fail and A means Pass. Each letter has its own meaning which you can learn with the help of the table discussed in the above article.
3. Can I calculate the GPA using Grades?
Yes, grades will help you in calculating your GPA. You need first to find the final grade of your academic session and then refer to the grade which corresponds to the GPA.
4. Which is the highest grade in the Grading system?
A is considered to be the highest grade in the grading system which means your percentage lies between 97%-100% on the 4.0 scale.
Some students find the calculation of grades difficult. Thus, for them, we have provided detailed information related to how to Calculate Grades. If you still have any doubts feel free to reach out at LCMGCF.