Average Grade Calculator: Weighted or Simple
Add your categories, scores and weights to see your class grade. Leave out work that isn't graded yet, drop a lowest score, or switch to a plain average.
Quick answer: weighted grade = Σ(score × weight) ÷ Σ(weights). With 90% homework (20%), 85% quizzes (30%) and 88% exams (50%), your grade is 87.5%.
Leave a score blank for work that isn't graded yet. It is left out of the average.
Letter grade: B+
Weights total 100%, so this is a complete course grade once everything is graded.
Category average helper: many scores in one category, with an option to drop the lowest
Enter some scores to see the category average.
The math runs in your browser, so the numbers you type aren't sent anywhere. Want the score you need on one remaining exam? Try the final grade calculator.
How to use the calculator
- 1. Pick the average type
Use Weighted if your syllabus gives categories different percentages. Use Simple if every score counts equally.
- 2. Enter each category
Type your score as a percentage and the weight from the syllabus. Start from an example layout if it saves time.
- 3. Leave blanks for ungraded work
A blank score is left out of the average and the tool shows the range your final grade can end up in.
- 4. Use the helper for big categories
If a category has many scores, or you can drop the lowest, paste them into the helper and use the result.
The weighted average formula
Each category contributes in proportion to its weight. You multiply every score by its weight, add those products up, and divide by the total weight.
Weighted grade = (score₁ × weight₁ + score₂ × weight₂ + …) ÷ (weight₁ + weight₂ + …)
When the weights total 100, the division by 100 just moves the decimal point. When they total less than 100 because some work isn't in yet, dividing by the weights you entered still gives a fair average for that work.
Three worked examples
1. A standard three-category course
Homework 90% (20%), quizzes 85% (30%), exams 88% (50%).
Homework: 90 × 20 = 1,800
Quizzes: 85 × 30 = 2,550
Exams: 88 × 50 = 4,400
(1,800 + 2,550 + 4,400) ÷ 100 = 87.5%, a B+
2. A course with the final still ahead
Homework 92% (15%), quizzes 86% (15%), projects 90% (15%), midterm 78% (25%), and a final worth 30% that hasn't happened.
Graded weight = 15 + 15 + 15 + 25 = 70%
Average on graded work = 85.29%
If the final scores 0%: 59.7%
If the final scores 100%: 89.7%
To find the exact score you need on that final for a particular grade, use the final grade calculator.
3. Why a plain average can mislead
Homework 100% (20%), quizzes 95% (30%), exams 70% (50%).
Simple average = (100 + 95 + 70) ÷ 3 = 88.33% (B+)
Weighted average = 83.5% (B)
The exam score is the weakest, and exams carry half the grade, so the weighted number is the one your instructor will report.
Simple average or weighted average?
| Simple average | Weighted average | |
|---|---|---|
| Each score counts | Equally | In proportion to its weight |
| Use it when | All assignments are worth the same | The syllabus gives categories percentages |
| Formula | Sum of scores ÷ number of scores | Σ(score × weight) ÷ Σ(weights) |
| Points-based course | Neither: divide total points earned by total points possible (412 ÷ 480 = 85.83%) | |
Tricky situations, handled
Weights that don't add up to 100%
Mid-course, that's normal: the categories you haven't graded yet aren't counted. Late in the course, a total above or below 100% means a category is missing or a weight was copied wrongly.
Dropped lowest scores
Drop the score within the category first, then enter the category average. With 70, 85, 90 and 95, the average is 85%, and 90% once the lowest is dropped. A dropped score changes the category average only; the category's weight stays the same.
Categories made of many assignments
Average inside the category first. If the assignments are worth different points, add up the points earned and the points possible and divide. If they count equally, average the percentages. Your syllabus decides which.
Extra credit
Enter the score as your gradebook shows it, even above 100%. Instructors differ on whether extra credit is capped, so treat the result as an estimate if yours isn't.
Rounding
The calculator shows two decimals and applies letter cutoffs to the exact value. Many instructors round at the very end, and some never do, so check your syllabus before assuming an 89.5% becomes an A-. For the cutoffs behind each letter, see the grading scale chart.
How much does each weight matter?
A category's weight is how many course-grade points are riding on it. Use this to decide where your effort pays off most.
| Category weight | A 10-point change in the score moves your grade by | Going from 0% to 100% moves your grade by |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 0.5 points | 5 points |
| 10% | 1 points | 10 points |
| 15% | 1.5 points | 15 points |
| 20% | 2 points | 20 points |
| 25% | 2.5 points | 25 points |
| 30% | 3 points | 30 points |
| 40% | 4 points | 40 points |
| 50% | 5 points | 50 points |
For teachers: setting up weights
- Make the weights total exactly 100 and publish them in the syllabus.
- State whether category scores are averaged by percentage or by total points.
- State your drop, rounding and extra credit policies, since these are the usual sources of disputes.
- Use this calculator to check a few students by hand against your gradebook, especially near a cutoff.
- Treat your gradebook as the official record. To grade a single test quickly, use the EZ grader.
The example layouts in the calculator are illustrations (Homework, quizzes, exams; Midterm and final still ahead; Participation, projects, exams), not anyone's official policy.
Mistakes that give the wrong grade
- Averaging category scores without weights. It's the most common error, and it can cost or gain a full letter.
- Typing 0 for work that isn't graded yet. Leave it blank instead, or you drag your average down.
- Using the wrong weight. Enter the category's share of the course, not the number of assignments or points in it.
- Mixing percentages and raw points. Convert points to a percentage before entering a score.
- Forgetting a category. If your weights total well under 100 late in the term, something is missing.
What this calculator does and doesn't do
It does the weighted-average math and shows what's possible given the work still ahead. It doesn't know your instructor's policies on curves, replacements or rounding, so treat the result as an estimate. To turn letter grades into GPA, see the grading scale guide. For the step-by-step version of the final-exam question, read how to calculate your grade after the final.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a weighted average grade?
Multiply each category's score by its weight, add the results, and divide by the total weight. With homework at 90% (weight 20%), quizzes at 85% (30%) and exams at 88% (50%), you get (90 × 20 + 85 × 30 + 88 × 50) ÷ 100 = 87.5%, a B+ on the standard plus/minus scale.
What is the difference between an average and a weighted average?
A simple average treats every score equally. A weighted average lets bigger categories count for more. With 100% on homework (20%), 95% on quizzes (30%) and 70% on exams (50%), the simple average is 88.33% but the weighted average is 83.5%, because the weak exam score carries half the grade.
How do I find my grade when some work isn't graded yet?
Leave those scores blank. The calculator averages only the graded work, then shows the range your final grade can land in. For example, with 85.29% on graded work and a final worth 30% still ahead, you will finish between 59.7% and 89.7%, depending on how that final goes.
Do my weights have to add up to 100%?
Not for the calculator to work. It divides by the weights you entered, so the result is your average on the entered categories. Once every category is graded, the weights should total 100%. If they do not, check your syllabus for a missing category or a typo.
How do I drop the lowest score?
Open the category average helper, enter the scores, and choose how many of the lowest to drop. With scores of 70, 85, 90 and 95, the average is 85% with nothing dropped and 90% after dropping the lowest one. Then press "Use this average" to fill in the category.
How do I calculate my grade if the course uses total points?
If every assignment counts by its points, you don't need weights. Divide the points you earned by the points possible so far. For example, 412 out of 480 points is 85.83%, a B. If your syllabus also assigns category weights, use those instead.
What if a category has several assignments?
Find the average for that category first, then enter it as one score with the category's weight. If the assignments are worth different points, divide the total points earned by the total points possible. If they all count equally, average the percentages. Your syllabus should say which one it uses.
How do I handle extra credit?
Enter the score as it appears in your gradebook, including anything over 100%, up to 150%. Whether extra credit is capped, and where it counts, depends on your instructor's policy.
Does this work for high school and college classes?
Yes. The formula is the same everywhere. What differs is each course's categories and weights, so enter the ones from your own syllabus.
What grading scale does the letter grade use?
The standard U.S. plus/minus scale by default (A at 93%, A- at 90%, B+ at 87% and so on), with a letter-only option. Schools set their own cutoffs, so use the percentage if yours differ.
How do I find out what I need on the final exam?
Use the final grade calculator. It works backward from the grade you want to the score the final has to reach, given your current grade and the final's weight.
Does the calculator save my grades?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, so the numbers you type are not sent to a server.