What is a points-based percentage grade?
In a points-based course, each earned point contributes equally to the total. The overall percentage is total earned points divided by total possible points, multiplied by 100. This differs from a category-weighted course where, for example, exams might count 50% regardless of their raw point totals.
For a single quiz or exam, the Test Grade Calculator gives a focused percentage and editable letter-grade cutoffs.
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How extra credit is handled
Extra-credit points are added to earned points without increasing points possible. That can raise the percentage and can produce a score above 100% when enough extra credit is earned.
When assignments belong to categories with different weights, use the Grade Calculator rather than adding points as if they were equal.
Letter-grade conversion
The calculator uses the A, B, C and D minimum percentages you enter. The defaults show a common scale, but you should edit them when the course uses different cutoffs.
For quarter, term and final-exam weighting, the Semester Grade Calculator can model the full semester structure.
When should you use another grade calculator?
Use the Grade Calculator when categories or assignments have explicit percentage weights. Use the Test Grade Calculator for one exam. Use the Semester Grade Calculator when quarters or terms combine to a final semester result.
If you need to find the exam score required to reach a target course grade, use the Final Grade Calculator.
Worked example: Percentage Grade
Enter the following values in the Percentage Grade Calculator and calculate to reproduce this result.
- Assignment 1: Quiz 1
- Earned (entry 1): 18
- Possible (entry 1): 20
- Assignment 2: Quiz 1
- Earned (entry 2): 18
- Possible (entry 2): 20
- Assignment 3: Quiz 1
- Earned (entry 3): 18
- Possible (entry 3): 20
- Assignment 4: Quiz 1
- Earned (entry 4): 18
- Possible (entry 4): 20
- Extra credit points (optional): 5
- A: 90
- B: 80
- C: 70
- D: 60
Example result: 96.25%. You have 77 earned points out of 80 possible points, including extra credit.
Calculation used: Percentage grade = (earned points + extra credit) ÷ possible points × 100
How to interpret this example
Extra credit is added to earned points in this model, not to the denominator. Here 77 ÷ 80 × 100 = 96.25%. Schools may treat extra credit or rounding differently, so use the grading method actually specified.