Weighted Grade Calculator
Enter each category — homework, quizzes, midterms, the final — with its score and weight to see your current overall grade.
Current grade: B+
How weighted grades work
Most classes weight categories differently — a final worth 40% matters far more than homework worth 10%. Your overall grade is:
Grade = Σ(score × weight) ÷ Σ(weight)
Add each category with the weight from your syllabus.
A worked example
Take a typical syllabus:
| Category | Weight | Score | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 20% | 95% | 19.0 |
| Quizzes | 15% | 82% | 12.3 |
| Midterm | 25% | 78% | 19.5 |
| Final | 40% | 88% | 35.2 |
Those contributions total 86.0% — a B. Notice that the 95% homework score, the best mark on the transcript, contributes 19 points while the 78% midterm contributes 19.5. A weaker score in a heavier category outweighs a stronger one in a light category, which is the whole point of weighting and the thing students most often misjudge.
Where your effort actually pays
One percentage point gained in a category is worth that category's weight in overall points. Raising your homework average from 95% to 100% — five points in a 20% category — lifts your overall grade by 1.0. Raising the final from 88% to 93%, the same five points in a 40% category, lifts it by 2.0.
This is why chasing perfect homework late in a term is usually a poor use of study time: the category is both small and already near its ceiling. The honest question is not “where am I weakest?” but “where does a point move the needle most?”
When weights don't add to 100
If your categories sum to something other than 100%, this calculator divides by the total you entered rather than by 100, so the result is still a sensible average of what you provided. That is the right behaviour mid-semester, when some categories have no graded work yet.
But be careful about what it means. Leaving out a 40% final does not tell you your grade in the course — it tells you your average across the 60% that has been graded. Those are different numbers, and treating the first as the second is how people are surprised in December.
Points-based courses are different
Not every class uses weighted categories. Some use a straight points system where every assignment contributes its raw points to a running total, and the weighting emerges from how many points each thing happens to be worth. If your syllabus lists point values rather than percentages, add up points earned and divide by points available — you do not need weights at all.
You can tell the two apart quickly: if the syllabus assigns percentages to categories, it is weighted. If it lists a total number of points for the course, it is points-based.
Related tools
Want to know the score you still need on an upcoming final? Use the final grade calculator. For a single test, the test grade calculator converts raw answers to a percentage and letter, and the letter grade to GPA chart shows what that grade is worth in grade points.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a weighted grade?
Multiply each category's score by its weight, add those up, then divide by the total weight. For example, 92% homework at 20% weight contributes 92 × 0.20 = 18.4 points.
Do my weights have to add up to 100%?
Ideally yes. If they don't, this calculator normalizes by the total weight you entered so the result still makes sense — but double-check your syllabus.
What letter grade does my percentage equal?
The calculator shows the matching letter grade using a standard scale (A = 90–100, B = 80–89, and so on). Your school's cutoffs may differ slightly.
Which category should I focus on to raise my grade?
The heaviest one with room to improve. A point gained is worth that category's weight in overall points, so five points on a 40% final adds 2.0 to your grade while the same five points on 20% homework adds only 1.0. Chasing perfect homework late in a term is usually the least efficient option available.
Can I use this before all my grades are in?
Yes, but read the result correctly. With a 40% final still ungraded, the calculator gives your average across the 60% that has been graded — not your grade in the course. To project a final grade, use the final grade calculator instead.
My syllabus lists points, not percentages. What do I do?
Then it is a points-based course and you do not need weights at all: add up the points you earned and divide by the points available. If the syllabus assigns percentages to categories it is weighted; if it gives a total point count for the course it is points-based.
How can a lower score hurt more than a higher one helps?
Because weight beats score. A 78% in a 25% midterm contributes 19.5 points while a 95% in 20% homework contributes 19.0 — the weaker mark in the heavier category counts for more. Always read a score together with the weight attached to it.