- How do you calculate a test grade?
- Subtract the number wrong from the total, divide by the total, and multiply by 100. On a 20-question test with 3 wrong, that's (20 − 3) ÷ 20 × 100 = 85%. Then look up the letter: on the usual US scale, 85% is a B. If you count right answers instead, skip the subtraction: 45 right out of 50 is 45 ÷ 50 × 100 = 90%.
- How many questions can I miss and still get a B?
- It depends on the length of the test, which is why the grading chart exists. On a 20-question test, 3 wrong is 85% (B) and 4 wrong is 80% (B-), so you can miss 4 and still have some kind of B. Missing 6 puts you at 70%, a C-, and 8 wrong is 60%, a D-. Type your test's total and read down the chart to find where your cutoff falls.
- What grading scale does this use?
- The default is the plus/minus scale most US schools use: A+ is 97 and up, A is 93, A- is 90, B+ is 87, B is 83, B- is 80, and the same pattern down through D- at 60. Anything below 60 is an F. The A–F only scale drops the plus and minus: A is 90 and up, B is 80, C is 70, D is 60. Some schools use a stricter 7-point scale where an A starts at 93, so check your syllabus if a grade looks off by one letter.
- Why is 89.99% a B+ and not an A-?
- The calculator doesn't round before picking the letter. An A- starts at 90%, and 89.99% hasn't reached it. Plenty of teachers do round, usually from 89.5 up to 90, but that's a policy choice, not math, and it varies from class to class. The percent shows up to two decimals so you can see exactly how close the score is to the next letter.
- Can I grade a test with partial credit?
- Yes. Type decimals in either box. If a student lost half a point on five questions of a 40-point test, that's 2.5 wrong, which gives 37.5 / 40, or 93.75%, an A. The grading chart still lists whole wrong answers only, since that's how most answer keys get marked, and it won't highlight a row for a decimal score.
- What if my test is scored in points instead of questions?
- It works the same way. Put the total points in the first box and the points lost in the second. A 75-point test with 9 points lost is 66 / 75, which is 88%, a B+. If questions carry different weights, add up the points the student earned and switch the toggle to Right, rather than counting missed questions.
- How do I make a grading chart for my class?
- Type the number of questions on the test and leave the second box empty. The chart shows every possible score, from 0 wrong to all wrong, with the percent and letter for each. Tap Copy chart, then paste into Google Sheets or Excel. It lands as four columns: Wrong, Score, Percent, and Grade. Charts cover whole-number tests up to 200 questions. Past that, the single grade above the chart still works for any total up to 10,000.
- Is this the same as my final grade in the class?
- No. This page grades one test. A course grade usually weights tests, homework, and projects differently, so one 85% doesn't mean an 85% in the class. For that, use the Final Grade Calculator, which averages weighted categories and tells you what you need on the final to reach a target grade.
