Methods for Figuring Out Grade Point Average

It is possible to calculate your GPA (Grade Point Average) by adding up all of your letter grades from secondary school and/or university. By reducing all of your grades on your transcript to a single letter grade, you can both impress potential employers and colleges with a quick snapshot of your academic achievements.

Our GPA calculator saves you the trouble of calculating, but the numbers it produces aren't mystical. Read on to learn how grade point averages (GPAs) are calculated and how they vary between high school (weighted or unweighted) and college (unweighted or weighted).

GPA Scales

The first step in determining your grade point average is to have each grade converted into a numeric value. All are given a score between 0 and 4 on the standard 4.0 scale.

• A = 4 0

• B = 3 0

• C = 2 0

• D = 1 0

• F = 0 0

The only question that arises is why do American schools not teach the letter "E," but other than that, it seems pretty simple, no? Not quite

There is no universal scale for grading performance in school, so GPAs can be calculated in a variety of ways. There are some institutions that use a 0-5 or 0-4 scale. Courses taken at the advanced or honors level will be given a higher weight in the grading scale, which is a 5 to In the end, you should look up the specific scale your school uses to convert letter grades into number points, but we'll show you how to calculate a weighted GPA later on.

Grade points are often adjusted upwards or downwards by zeros to account for the fact that many schools use both the and symbols in addition to simple letter grades. 3 points To put it another way, a B will become a 3 in this context. An increase of 3 grading points does not change the final grade for a B. an F is worth 0 points, and a B- is worth 2 Seven points The only deviation is that both an A and an A are worth 4 in most cases. 0 points

What would happen if instead of receiving a letter grade, you received a percentage? Here is a chart that will help you quickly and easily convert between various percentages and standard letter grades.

High School Grade Point Average: Weighted vs. Unweighted

A weighted grade point average is used by some institutions to take into account the greater difficulty of some course offerings. After all, getting an A in Advanced Placement Calculus requires significantly more effort than getting an A in a standard course. One point is typically added to a student's total grade for each Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course taken, and no weight is assigned to regular classes. Points awarded for achieving Honor Roll status: 5 In this system, a perfect score of 5 is equivalent to an "A" in an Advanced Placement course. zero points, while a passing grade in an advanced placement course would be worth four 0

First, we'll figure out your unweighted high school GPA on a standard 0–4 scale, and then we'll spice things up a bit by figuring out your weighted GPA.

Average Grade Point Average (GPA) in High School (not Weighted)

The average grade point score (GPS) is determined by first converting all grades to grade point values and then finding the mean. The final grade can be calculated by adding up all of the points earned in each class and then dividing by the total number of classes taken.

Calculating GPA: Total Grade Points / Total Courses

Listed below is Julie's semester report card. She enrolled in 5 courses and achieved a 4 A/1 B average.

First, we must transform the letters into grade points. Her "A" in English grades out to a "4" on our unweighted 0–4 scale. and her World History grade of B only counts for 3 0

Her grade point average can be calculated by adding up all of her letter grades (19) and dividing by the total number of credits she earned (5 classes).

19 ÷ 5 = 3 8 GPA

High School GPA with Weighting

Similar to how an unweighted GPA is calculated, except that not all classes are weighted equally, a weighted GPA takes into account how much importance was placed on each grade. 0 scale Keep in mind that most Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses are structured on a 5 Honors courses typically use a 4 on a 0-10 scale. Carefully use the 1–5 grading scale. As for the rest of the math, it's just standard grade point average.

Take a look at this ambitious semester's schedule, which includes two Advanced Placement courses, one Honors seminar, and two regular courses:

After points have been assigned using the weighted scale, the GPA can be calculated by simply adding up the total number of points earned (20). 5-point scale) and then dividing by the total number of classes (5

20.5 ÷ 5 = 4 Grade Point Average (GPA) Weighted = 1

Even though this student only received two "B"s, the weighted GPA shows that they were able to succeed in more challenging courses. Unlike a traditional GPA, a weighted GPA can have a value greater than 4. 0 Colleges take into account both the weighted and unweighted GPA when making admissions decisions. It's great to be recognized for your efforts when taking more challenging courses, but keep in mind that a truly impressive weighted GPA will be closer to 5 if your school uses a weighted system. 0

Work out Your College Grade Point Average

Credit hours are a factor in the grade point average formula used in universities. Courses at the university level typically last for three hours, though some, such as those involving science or computer labs, may be worth more than that.

When a student receives a letter grade, it is first converted to grade points (typically using the 4 0 scale) Next, the credit hours associated with the course are multiplied by the students' grade point average.

Let's pretend you enrolled in and excelled in a 3-credit English 101 course. Multiply the number of credit hours (3) by the letter grades (4) to get the total points. 0)

Multiplying the number of credit hours required by three by four Twelve total points for a grade of zero

All of the semester could look like this:

You'll see that the more challenging courses are awarded more credit hours. A B in Biology 101 is equivalent to an A in English 101 in terms of total points because of the lab component of the former course.

Adding up all of the points for the semester (57) and dividing by the total number of credit hours for the semester (17) yields the semester grade point average.

57 ÷ 17 = 3 35 GPA

Comparison of Accumulated Values to Individual Values Average Grade Points Earned During the Semester

A student's overall grade point average is calculated by adding up all of their semester GPAs.

Below is an example of a 4-semester college transcript, including semester GPA, credit hours, and total points:

Do not make the common mistake of adding all of the semester GPAs together and then dividing by 4; rather, use the arithmetic mean instead. Due to variations in semester length, that would not provide a reliable average.

Compute the sum of the points instead (193) to the total number of credit hours (53), then divide by 5. In consequence,

193.5 ÷ 53 = 3 Average Grade Point Average of 65

Simply add up all of your grades and divide by the total number of credits you've taken to get your cumulative high school GPA.

Use our cumulative GPA calculator for an even better solution. All of the math is done for you, and your current GPA is stored so you can easily update it for the upcoming semester.

In Conclusion

Remember that it's impossible to sum up everything about you, including your background, personality, and skills, into a single number, so don't let your grade point average limit who you are. However, it sends a strong message to prospective colleges and employers about how seriously you took your studies and how consistently you maintained your grades.

Maintaining a high GPA is important because it can lead to new opportunities in school or the workforce. The good news is that keeping or improving one's grade point average is a simple matter of following a few simple steps Learn from our how-to manual and improve your academic performance.