Weighted Grade Calculator
73.80%
The weighted grade calculator combines coursework, tests and exams into a single course grade, weighting each by its share of the total. Weights do not have to add up to 100. They are normalised by their own total, so 40 and 20 behave identically to 66.7 and 33.3.
How it works
grade = sum(score x weight) / sum(weight)
- score
- the percentage achieved for that component
- weight
- that component’s share, in any consistent unit: percent, points or credits
Normalising by the total weight is what makes partial entry work. Enter only the components graded so far and you get your current standing among them, rather than a figure depressed by ungraded work counted as zero.
That is also the one thing to watch. If you intend a missing assignment to count as zero, enter it with a score of 0 rather than leaving it out.
Examples
A three-component course
Coursework
72% at weight 40
Midterm
65% at weight 20
Final
80% at weight 40
Result
73.80%
(72×40 + 65×20 + 80×40) / 100 = 7380 / 100. The weights total exactly 100 here, so no normalisation is needed.
Weights that do not total 100
Essay
68% at weight 3
Exam
81% at weight 7
Result
77.10%
(68×3 + 81×7) / 10. Weights of 3 and 7 give the same answer as 30 and 70. The ratio is what matters.
Partway through a course
Entered
Coursework 72% at weight 40 only
Result
72.00%, flagged as weights totalling 40, not 100
Your standing among what has been graded. The tool notes the shortfall so you know the final exam is not being treated as zero.
Frequently asked questions
Do my weights have to add up to 100?
No. The calculation divides by the total weight you entered, so 40 and 20 give the same result as 66.7 and 33.3. The tool tells you when the total is not 100, because that usually means a component is missing rather than that the weights are wrong.
What happens to a component I have not been graded on yet?
Leave it out and it is excluded entirely, giving your standing among what has been graded. Enter it with a score of 0 if you want it counted as a zero. Those two produce very different numbers, which is why the tool flags an incomplete weight total.
Can I use points instead of percentages?
Only if every component is out of the same total. A test scored 45 out of 50 must be entered as 90, not 45, or it will be weighted against components measured on a different scale. Convert to percentages first.
How is this different from a simple average?
A simple average treats every component equally. If your final exam is worth 40 percent and a quiz is worth 5, averaging them treats a quiz as equally important, which will misstate your grade by a wide margin.