How weighted grades work
Most courses don't average every assignment equally — they group work into categories (homework, quizzes, exams) and give each category a share of the final grade. Your course grade is the weighted average: each category's score multiplied by its weight, summed, and divided by the total weight. A 95 on homework worth 10% moves your grade far less than a 95 on a final worth 40%, and the weights are exactly how much less.
With the default numbers above — homework 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 20%, midterm 88 at 25%, final still ungraded at 35% — the graded 65% of the course works out to (92×20 + 85×20 + 88×25) ÷ 65 = 88.3%. That's the number your instructor would call your "current grade."
The standard US letter scale
| Letter | Percent range | GPA points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ / A | 93–100 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90–92 | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89 | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80–82 | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79 | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70–72 | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69 | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66 | 1.0 |
| D- | 60–62 | 0.7 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
Using this tool mid-semester
The most useful trick: leave ungraded categories blank. The calculator then averages only the work that's actually been graded, which matches how most online gradebooks (Canvas, PowerSchool, Infinite Campus) display your running grade. When you want to plan for the final exam specifically, take the current grade this tool gives you and plug it into our final grade calculator to see what score you need.
Watch the "total weight entered" line. If it shows 95% or 105%, a weight is off — usually a syllabus lists extra credit separately or splits a category you've merged. Small weight errors produce small grade errors, but at a letter-grade boundary, small is enough to matter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my weighted grade?
Multiply each category's score by its weight, add them up, and divide by the total weight. Example: homework 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 20%, midterm 88 at 25%, final 90 at 35% → (92×20 + 85×20 + 88×25 + 90×35) ÷ 100 = 89.1%.
What if my category weights don't add up to 100%?
The calculator divides by the weights you've entered, so the result is still a valid average of the work graded so far. If a category hasn't happened yet (like a final exam), leave its score blank — your current grade is computed from the completed categories only.
What letter grade is my percentage?
On the most common US scale: 90%+ is an A range grade (93+ A, 90–92 A-), 80–89 is B range, 70–79 C range, 60–69 D range, and below 60 is an F. Schools differ — some use 7-point scales where 93+ is required for an A — so check your syllabus.
How is this different from the final grade calculator?
This tool computes your grade from category scores and weights. The final grade calculator works backwards: it takes the grade you want and tells you what score you need on the final exam to get it. Use this one first to find your current grade, then feed it into that one.