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What-if grade calculator
Try different scores for your upcoming tests and assignments and see what your class grade becomes. This what-if grade calculator also tells you the average you need on the remaining work to reach your goal.
Your class grade is the weighted average of every graded category so far.
Statistics & Educational Calculator Specialist · Stanford, California, USA
Kyler Bennett contributes to the development and review of educational and statistical calculators at Online Grade Calculators, with a focus on formula accuracy, quantitative reasoning and easy-to-understand results.
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Understand your result
01 / Calculator guide
How a class grade is calculated
Most teachers group assignments into categories such as homework, quizzes and tests, and give each category a weight. Inside a category the points are added up, so your category average is the points you earned divided by the points possible. The class grade is each category average times its weight, added together. A category with nothing graded yet is left out and the other weights are scaled up, which is how most online gradebooks, including Canvas, show a grade during the term.
02 / Calculation method
Class grade formula
Category average = points earned ÷ points possible (graded and missing work)
Class grade = Σ (category average × weight) ÷ Σ weights of categories with graded work
03 / Worked example
Example: homework, quizzes and tests
Homework (20%) is 26 of 30 points, 86.67%. Quizzes (30%) are 32 of 40, 80%. Tests (50%) are 82 of 100, 82%. The class grade is 86.67 × 0.2 + 80 × 0.3 + 82 × 0.5 = 82.33%. With one homework, one quiz and the final still to come, averaging 76.25% on them keeps a B, and 51.25% keeps a C. Even 100% on all three gives 89.5%, so an A is out of reach.
04 / Reference data
How each status counts
How each status counts
Status
In your current grade
In a what-if
Graded
Counts
Counts
Missing
Counts as 0
Counts as 0
Excused
Left out
Left out
Not graded yet
Left out
Counts with your what-if score
05 / Calculator guide
Using the what-if
Set work that has not been graded to Not graded yet.
Type the score you expect into its Score box to see your grade with it.
Or set a target: the table shows the average you need on everything left for an A, B, C or D.
Use Drop lowest when your teacher drops the lowest homework or quiz scores.
Paste scores from your gradebook into a category, one assignment per line.
06 / Assumptions & limits
Why your school’s portal may show something else
Teachers can set a gradebook to count missing work as 0 only after the due date, to drop scores, or to round. If the number here is different, check the category weights in your syllabus and whether ungraded work is being counted.
Key terms explained
Category weight
The share of the class grade that one category, such as tests, is worth.
Missing
Work the teacher has marked as not turned in. It counts as 0.
Excused
Work you do not have to do. It is left out of the grade completely.
What-if score
A score you expect on ungraded work, used only to project your grade.
References and calculation notes
These references explain the underlying mathematics or policy context. Use your institution’s or provider’s rules for official decisions.
In most gradebooks it does once the teacher marks it missing. Choose Missing (0) for those assignments. If the teacher has not entered it yet, choose Not graded yet so it does not count.
How is this different from the weighted grade calculator?+
The weighted grade calculator takes one average per category. This one takes every assignment with its status, so it can drop scores, leave out excused work and run what-ifs.
How do I find my category weights?+
They are usually in the syllabus, or in the gradebook under assignment groups or categories. If your class has no weights, turn off Categories have weights and every point counts the same.
How do I see what-if grades in Canvas?+
In Canvas, open Grades, click the score cell of an assignment and type the score you expect. Canvas updates your total to show a what-if grade without changing your real grade; click Revert to Actual Score in the sidebar to undo it. If your course page shows no total grade, enter your categories here instead.
Can I save or share my grades?+
Save keeps them in this browser. Share copies a link with your numbers in it, so you can open the same class on another device. Nothing is sent to our server.
