Points Based Grade Calculator: Add Up Your Total Points

Use this free points based grade calculator: enter the points you earned and the points possible for each assignment. You get one total, a percentage and a letter. Add the points still to come, such as a final exam, and see how many you need for every grade.

Note: the calculator has not started. If this message stays, JavaScript is switched off in your browser, or this website is blocking the calculator’s script. Site owners: see the install guide, “calculator does not respond”.

Your assignments

Total points available in work you have not done or not had marked yet. Leave blank to see only your current grade.
These are example scales, not universal standards. Schools and teachers set their own cutoffs. Choose Custom to enter yours.
Settings and custom scale

The shortcut works when keyboard focus is inside the calculator and not in a text field. The Reset button does the same thing.

This calculator runs in your browser and does not send your numbers anywhere. Only your scale settings are saved on this device. Your scores are not.

Result

Enter at least one assignment score to see your total.

Points based grade calculator: the quick answer

In a points based course, your grade is the total points you earned divided by the total points possible, times 100. Bigger assignments count more because they carry more points. In the example below, 45 of 50, 88 of 100, 71 of 100 and 18 of 20 add up to 222 of 270 points, which is 82.22%, a B on the standard scale. If a 100-point final is still to come, you need 74 of those 100 points to finish with 80% overall. The points based grade calculator above does this for you.

Points based grade calculator example: 45 of 50, 88 of 100, 71 of 100 and 18 of 20 add up to 222 of 270 points, or 82.22%
Points based grade calculator example: four assignments and their total.

How the points based grade calculator works

In a points based course, every assignment is worth a number of points, and your grade is the points you earned divided by the points available. A 10-point quiz and a 100-point project are not equal: the project simply has ten times as many points to win or lose. There are no weights to set, because the point values already do the weighting.

Enter each assignment as points earned and points possible. Boxes you leave completely empty are ignored, and a half-filled box asks for the missing number instead of guessing. If your course uses percentage weights for categories such as homework, tests and projects, use the weighted grade calculator instead.

Points based grade calculator: planning with points still to come

Fill in Points still to be graded with everything left in the course, such as the final exam and any assignments not yet marked. The points based grade calculator then shows the whole course on one table. For each grade it says whether you have already secured it, how many of the remaining points you need, or whether it is out of reach.

Your current grade is based only on the work graded so far. The range line shows the lowest and highest final percentage that are still possible. For a plan built around one big exam, the final grade calculator works from your current grade and the exam’s weight.

Points based grade calculator formulas and worked examples

Total points earned = Sum of all points earned Percentage = (Total earned × 100) ÷ Total possible Points needed on the rest = (Minimum percent × Course total ÷ 100) − Total earned

The letter is the first grade on the scale, counting down from the top, whose minimum is at or below the percentage. A score exactly on a cutoff earns that grade. The full rules are on the grading methodology page.

Example: homework 45 of 50, project 88 of 100, midterm 71 of 100 and quiz 18 of 20. That is 222 of 270 points.

Worked example with and without a 100-point final still to come
QuestionResultStandardPlus/minus
Grade so far (222 of 270)82.22%BB-
Best possible with a 100-point final (322 of 370)87.03%BB+
Points needed on the final for 80%74 of 100BB-
Points needed on the final for 90%111 of 100Out of reach

For 80% of the 370-point course you need 296 points, and you already have 222, so the final must supply 74. For 90% you need 333 points, which means 111 from a 100-point final. That is more than the final is worth, so an A is out of reach unless there is extra credit.

Your grading scale in the points based grade calculator

The standard and plus/minus scales are examples, not rules. If your syllabus uses different cutoffs, choose Custom and enter them, or build and print a chart with the grading scale calculator.

Sources and further reading

Courses count points in different ways, so check your syllabus first. For background, see Grading in education and Percentage on Wikipedia.

Related tools

Points based grade calculator questions

Is this points based grade calculator free and private?

Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up, and runs in your browser. Your scores are not sent anywhere or saved.

Is this the same as an average of percentages?

No. Adding up points lets bigger assignments count more. An average of percentages treats every assignment equally. When the sizes differ the two can give different letters. The quiz grade calculator shows both side by side.

Do empty boxes count as zero?

No. A box with both fields empty is ignored. If a missed assignment should count as zero, enter 0 as the score and the points it was worth.

What should I put in “Points still to be graded”?

The combined points of everything you have not finished or not had marked. Leave it blank if you only want your current grade.

What does “out of reach” mean?

Even full marks on every remaining point would not reach that grade. If your teacher offers extra credit, tick the extra credit box and the table will not rule out grades because of it, but the calculator cannot know how much extra credit is available.

Why is my result shown as 90% but graded as a B?

The value was rounded for display only. A score like 89.5% is graded on the unrounded number, and the result tells you when this happens. If your teacher rounds first, turn on “Round before grading” in Settings.

Does it save my scores?

No. Only your scale and display settings are saved on this device. Scores you type are cleared when you leave the page. For a class sheet that can keep scores in your browser, see the class grade calculator.

Is this points based grade calculator result what my school will record?

It is a quick, transparent calculation. Your instructor or school sets the official grade. See the disclaimer.