This free grading scale calculator builds a grading chart from the standard, plus/minus or your own scale. Enter the total points in your course and it turns every cutoff into a points range. You can also check which grade a score earns, add 4.0 GPA points, then copy or print the chart.
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Your grading chart is below. Enter a score under “Check a score” to see its grade.
A grading scale lists the lowest score that earns each grade. A score at or above a cutoff earns that grade, so on the standard scale 90% and up is an A and 80% to less than 90% is a B. To turn a cutoff into points, multiply it by the total points and divide by 100. With 500 points, a 90% cutoff is 450 points. The grading scale calculator above does this for every grade at once: on 500 points an A is 450 to 500, a B is 400 to 449, a C is 350 to 399, a D is 300 to 349, and anything lower is an F.
These two scales are common examples, not rules. Schools and teachers set their own cutoffs, and some use 7-point or 10-point steps that differ from these.
| Standard grade | Minimum | Plus/minus grade | Minimum | GPA points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 90% | A+ / A / A- | 97% / 93% / 90% | 4.0 / 4.0 / 3.7 |
| B | 80% | B+ / B / B- | 87% / 83% / 80% | 3.3 / 3.0 / 2.7 |
| C | 70% | C+ / C / C- | 77% / 73% / 70% | 2.3 / 2.0 / 1.7 |
| D | 60% | D+ / D / D- | 67% / 63% / 60% | 1.3 / 1.0 / 0.7 |
| F | 0% | F | 0% | 0.0 |
GPA points here are a common example. Some schools give an A+ 4.3 instead of 4.0. The GPA calculator lets you choose.
Points needed for a grade = Cutoff % × Total points ÷ 100
Percent = Points earned ÷ Total points × 100
A score earns the first grade, counting down from the top, whose cutoff it meets or beats. Whole-point ranges round each cutoff up, because a score of 44.9 points would not meet a 45-point cutoff. The full rules are on the grading methodology page.
Example 1: the standard scale on 500 points gives A 450 to 500, B 400 to 449, C 350 to 399, D 300 to 349 and F 0 to 299, because 80% of 500 is 400 and 60% of 500 is 300.
Example 2: the plus/minus scale on 50 whole points is tighter, because each cutoff of 97%, 93% and so on lands between whole numbers.
| Grade | Percent | Whole points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97% and up | 49 to 50 |
| A | 93% to less than 97% | 47 to 48 |
| A- | 90% to less than 93% | 45 to 46 |
| B+ | 87% to less than 90% | 44 |
| B | 83% to less than 87% | 42 to 43 |
| B- | 80% to less than 83% | 40 to 41 |
| C+ | 77% to less than 80% | 39 |
| C | 73% to less than 77% | 37 to 38 |
| C- | 70% to less than 73% | 35 to 36 |
| D+ | 67% to less than 70% | 34 |
| D | 63% to less than 67% | 32 to 33 |
| D- | 60% to less than 63% | 30 to 31 |
| F | Below 60% | 0 to 29 |
Notice that a B+ has only one whole score, 44, and 43.5 points would be 87%. With a small total, some grades have no whole score at all, and the calculator says so instead of showing a broken range.
The grading scale calculator draws the chart from the cutoffs you give it. It cannot tell you which scale your school uses, whether your teacher rounds, or how a grade counts toward a GPA. Check your syllabus or school policy for those. If you turn on “Round before grading” in Settings, a score is rounded to the chosen decimals before it is graded, and the page notes that the chart then shows the cutoffs, not the rounded edges.
Press Copy chart and paste into Excel, Google Sheets or a document. The columns are separated by tabs, so they land in separate cells. If copying is blocked, the same text is in a box you can select. Print this page opens your browser’s print dialog. Your theme’s header and footer may print as well, so use “Save as PDF” and the page range, or copy the chart into a document, for a cleaner handout.
Schools set their own scales, so use yours. For background, see Academic grading in the United States and Grading in education on Wikipedia.
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up, and runs in your browser. Only your scale settings are saved on your device. The score you check is not saved.
A common one is A at 90% and up, B at 80%, C at 70%, D at 60%, and F below that. It is an example. Schools and teachers set their own cutoffs.
Multiply the cutoff by the total points and divide by 100. A 90% cutoff on 400 points is 360 points. Enter the total in the calculator to do it for every grade.
It shows each grade as a range of whole scores, with each cutoff rounded up. Use it when your assignments never give fractions of a point.
Yes. Choose Custom, open Settings, and list your grades from highest to lowest with their minimum percent. The lowest grade must start at 0.
With a small total, two cutoffs can fall between the same pair of whole numbers. Then no whole score lands in that grade. Use a bigger total or turn off whole points to see the exact cutoffs.
On the standard scale it is a B, because it is below 90%. If your teacher rounds first, turn on “Round before grading” and 89.5% rounds to 90%, which is an A.
They are a common example: A is 4.0, B is 3.0, and so on, with plus/minus steps such as 3.7 for an A-. Your school may use different values.
No. It draws a chart from the cutoffs you give it. Your school or teacher sets the official scale. See the disclaimer.