What to enter
- What the test was out of: the number of questions if every question counts the same, or the total points if they don't.
- How many you got wrong, or switch to right if that is the number you have. Half credit works: enter 2.5 wrong if you lost two and a half questions.
- In the settings, the letter scale your teacher uses. It only changes the letter, never the percentage.
This page scores one test. Use the grade calculator to combine several tests into a class grade, with homework, quizzes and exams weighted the way your syllabus says.
The formula
points earned = total minus wrong
percent = points earned / total x 100
If you count right answers instead, the number right is the points earned. The calculator keeps every value exact and rounds half up to two decimal places only at the end, so 32.5 out of 40 shows 81.25% and never drifts to 81.24%.
A worked example
A quiz has 25 questions and you get 3 wrong. You earned 25 minus 3 = 22, and 22 / 25 x 100 = 88.00%. On Green Bay's scale, where a B+ runs from 87 to 89, that is a B+.
Each question on a 25-question test is worth 100 / 25 = 4 percentage points, so every extra wrong answer costs 4 points: 2 wrong is 92%, 4 wrong is 84%. The score table shows the whole run at once.
Two more cases:
- A test worth 40 points where you lost 7.5 points: 32.5 / 40 x 100 = 81.25%, a B- on the same scale.
- You got 18 right out of 24: 18 / 24 x 100 = 75.00%, a C.
Questions worth different points
If some questions are worth more than others, counting questions gives the wrong answer. Enter points instead: the total points on the test and the points you lost. A 50-point test with a 10-point essay where you got 6 of 10 on the essay and lost 3 points elsewhere is 50 minus 7 = 43 points, or 86.00%.
Close to a cutoff
The letter comes from the exact percentage with no rounding. On a 60-point test, losing 6.25 points leaves 53.75, which is 89.583...%, shown as 89.58%. Where an A- starts at 90, that is still a B+. Some teachers round 89.5 and up to 90 and some don't, so ask yours before you count on it.
Things the calculator can't see
- Curves. If your teacher curves the test, the grade on your paper can be higher than the raw percentage.
- Extra credit. The calculator won't accept more right than the test was out of. With bonus points, divide what you earned by the total yourself: the answer can go above 100%.
- Dropped questions. If a question is thrown out, take it off the total too.
The cutoffs the calculator can use
The letter next to your percentage comes from the scale chosen in the settings. A percentage belongs to the highest letter whose cutoff it reaches, with no rounding, so an 89.6 stays below a 90 line. Published cutoffs differ:
| Scale | A from | B from | C from | D from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plus/minus with A at 93 (tool default; Green Bay) | 93 | 83 | 73 | 63 |
| 10-point, whole letters (NC state scale, Broward core) | 90 | 80 | 70 | 60 |
| Plus/minus with A+ at 97 (Forest Hills, OH) | 93 | 83 | 73 | 65 |
| Plus/minus, no D- (Alexandria City HS, VA) | 93 | 83 | 73 | 60 |
| Broward County: B+ and C+ bands but no extra points | 90 | 80 | 70 | 60 |
| College Board example chart (letters only) | 90 | 80 | 70 | 66 |
| Old 7-point scale (NC before 2015-16) | 93 | 85 | 77 | 70 |