A Free Calculator · Instant Letter Grade · Updated 2026
What percentage — and what letter grade — did you earn?
Grade math is a two-step job: divide points earned by points possible to get a percentage,
then map that percentage to the letter scale your school uses. Enter your numbers below
and both steps happen instantly. Every formula is shown, the scale is labeled as common
rather than universal, and nothing is hidden.
Percentage + letter grade·Full +/- scale with GPA values·Reverse mode: points needed for a target
Read this first
The percentage arithmetic is exact. The letter grade uses the common +/- scale shown
in the table below — but your instructor or institution may use a different scale.
A 10-point straight scale (A = 90–100, no plus/minus) is common in many high schools;
some graduate programs treat a B- as failing. Check your syllabus before relying on
the letter shown here.
Enter the points you earned and the points possible. The percentage and letter update as you type. Switch to reverse mode to find the points needed for a target grade.
Your score
The raw score you received — e.g. 42, 87, or 195.
The maximum score on this assignment, test, or class.
Your target
%
Enter the percentage you want to earn — e.g. 83 for the bottom of a B.
The maximum score on this assignment or test.
You earned — letter grade
Percentage
Letter grade
Points
You need points
Points needed
Target percentage
Letter at target
The formulas, in full
Nothing here is a black box. The percentage calculation is two arithmetic operations;
the letter-grade lookup is a simple range check. Both are shown below exactly as
the calculator runs them.
4 — Worked example (defaults: 42 earned, 50 possible)
percentage = (42 ÷ 50) × 100 = 84.00%
letter = 83 ≤ 84.00 < 87 → B
The letter-grade scale
The table below shows the +/- scale used by this calculator — the most widely cited
scale in U.S. colleges and high schools. Cutoffs and GPA equivalents shown are common
values; always confirm against your institution's official policy.
Letter grade
Percentage range
GPA (4.0 scale)
Common description
A
93 – 100
4.0
Excellent
A−
90 – 92.99
3.7
Excellent
B+
87 – 89.99
3.3
Above average
B
83 – 86.99
3.0
Above average
B−
80 – 82.99
2.7
Above average
C+
77 – 79.99
2.3
Average
C
73 – 76.99
2.0
Average
C−
70 – 72.99
1.7
Average
D+
67 – 69.99
1.3
Below average
D
63 – 66.99
1.0
Below average
D−
60 – 62.99
0.7
Below average
F
0 – 59.99
0.0
Failing
Common scale — schools vary. Some institutions use a straight 10-point scale (A = 90–100, no
plus/minus bands). Graduate programs often set a higher minimum passing grade. The GPA values
above follow the standard 4.0 scale; honors and AP courses may use a weighted scale that
adds 0.5 or 1.0 point. Always confirm your institution's official grading policy.
What the percentage actually tells you
A percentage converts a raw score into something comparable across assignments with
different point totals — but the number only means something in context.
The same percentage can mean different things in different classes
An 84% on a curved exam where the class average was 62% represents different academic standing than an 84% on a straightforward quiz. Percentage grade and letter grade tell you where you fall on the scale; they do not tell you how difficult the assessment was, how grading is weighted across the semester, or how you compare to peers. Use the percentage as a starting point, not a complete picture.
A one-point difference near a letter cutoff is worth knowing about
The distance from 86.99% (B) to 87% (B+) is 0.01 percentage points — less than a single question on a 100-point test. If you are within a point of a letter boundary, it is worth checking your instructor's rounding policy. Some instructors round at 0.5 and bump you up; others use a strict cutoff. The calculator shows two decimal places specifically so you can see how close you are to the edge of a band.
Assignment weight changes which grades matter most
Most courses weight grades differently — a final exam might be 40% of your grade while a homework set is 5%. An 84% on a high-weight assignment moves your course grade much more than an 84% on a low-weight one. This calculator handles one assignment at a time; use a weighted grade calculator to see your standing across an entire course. The percentage here is the raw earned/possible ratio, not your standing in the class.
How to use the result
Getting the most out of a grade calculation means knowing which number to act on
and when.
Verify the points possible matches the actual assignment
Grading systems sometimes display a raw score without making the denominator obvious. A score of 45 on a 50-point rubric is 90%; on a 60-point rubric it is 75%. Before trusting the percentage, confirm the denominator — look at the assignment rubric, gradebook, or graded paper, not just the score at the top.
Check your syllabus for the scale your instructor actually uses
The common +/- scale here is not universal. Some instructors publish a custom scale in their syllabus — sometimes with a 90/80/70/60 straight-line cutoff, sometimes with no plus/minus, occasionally with a curve applied after the fact. Use the percentage the calculator produces and look it up in your specific course's grading rubric, not this table.
Use reverse mode to set a minimum target before the test
Before a high-stakes exam, flip to reverse mode: enter the percentage that earns the letter grade you need (e.g. 83% for a B) and the points possible. The calculator tells you the raw score you must hit. That gives you a concrete number to aim for rather than an abstract grade target.
Factor in extra credit before drawing conclusions
If an assignment has extra-credit questions, your points earned can exceed points possible, pushing the percentage above 100%. The calculator handles this correctly — it will show 105% if you earned 52.5 on a 50-point assignment. Instructors typically cap the grade at 100% in the gradebook; check before assuming the full overage counts.
Remember that one grade rarely decides your course grade
A single assignment percentage is useful context, not a final verdict. Most course grades are weighted averages across many assignments. If this one score is lower than you wanted, calculate how much it actually moves your course percentage given its weight — often less than you fear — and focus energy on the assessments that carry the most weight.
Where to buy
Got your numbers? Here's where to pick up what you need:
The vocabulary that shows up on grade reports, transcripts, and syllabuses — defined plainly.
Percentage grade
The ratio of points earned to points possible, expressed per hundred: (earned ÷ possible) × 100. A 42/50 is an 84%. It is a continuous number and carries more information than a letter grade, which groups a range of percentages under one label.
Letter grade
A letter — A, B, C, D, or F — assigned to a range of percentages. On the common +/- scale, each letter spans about 3–7 percentage points. Letter grades are easier to average into a GPA and simpler to communicate, but they discard the fine-grained information a percentage carries.
Grade point average (GPA)
A weighted average of letter grades across multiple courses, typically on a 4.0 scale. Each letter is assigned a point value (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.) and those values are averaged, usually weighted by credit hours. GPA is a transcript-level metric; this calculator works at the assignment or exam level and does not compute GPA directly.
Plus/minus grading
A refinement of the A–F letter scale that adds bands above and below each main letter. A+ and A- flank the plain A; B+ and B- flank the plain B, and so on. The common +/- scale has 12 bands from A to F. Not all institutions use plus/minus; some use a straight 10-point scale with only five letters.
Curve
An adjustment to raw scores or letter-grade cutoffs made by an instructor after grading, typically to raise class performance toward a target distribution. A curve can be applied as a flat addition to all scores, a scaling factor, or a shift in the cutoffs. Because a curve is instructor-specific and applied after the fact, this calculator cannot account for it — it works on raw earned/possible ratios only.
Assignment weight
The fraction of your final course grade that a particular assignment or category contributes. A final exam worth 40% of your grade is four times more influential on your course GPA than a quiz worth 10%. Individual assignment percentages need to be combined using their weights to find a course-level grade; this calculator handles one assignment at a time.
Passing grade
The minimum percentage or letter grade required to earn credit for a course. The conventional minimum is 60% (D-) in most U.S. undergraduate settings, but requirements vary: some programs require a C (73%), graduate programs often require a B (83%), and professional schools may set a higher bar. Always verify the passing threshold in your program's official documentation.
Frequently asked
Divide points earned by points possible, then multiply by 100. For 42 out of 50: (42 ÷ 50) × 100 = 84%. That percentage is then mapped to a letter grade using your school's scale — on the common +/- scale, 84% is a B (83–86.99%). The calculator on this page does both steps automatically.
On the most common +/- grading scale, 84% falls in the B range (83–86.99%). Some schools round to the nearest whole percent first — still a B here. If your instructor uses a straight 10-point scale (A = 90–100, B = 80–89, etc.), 84% would also be a B. If they use a different custom scale, the letter could differ; always check your syllabus.
A percentage grade is a precise number — 84.00%, 91.3%, 72.8% — that shows exactly where you fall on the 0–100 spectrum. A letter grade is a broader band that groups a span of percentages under one label. Letter grades are easier to communicate and average into a GPA, but they lose fine-grained information. A 90% and an 89.5% are both A- on many scales, even though 0.5 points separates them; the percentage reveals that distinction, the letter does not.
Use the reverse mode in the calculator above: enter 83 as your target percentage (the bottom of the B band on the common scale) and your assignment's total points possible, then read off the points needed. The formula is: points needed = (target% ÷ 100) × points possible. For a 50-point assignment: (83 ÷ 100) × 50 = 41.5 points — in practice, you would need to earn 42 since fractional points are rarely awarded.
No. The +/- scale shown here (A 93–100, A- 90–92, B+ 87–89, and so on) is the most common scale in U.S. colleges and high schools, but variations are widespread. Some schools use a straight 10-point scale with no plus/minus bands. Others set a C at 75 rather than 73. Graduate programs often treat anything below a B- as failing. Your syllabus is the authoritative source for any specific class — use the percentage this calculator produces and look it up there.
Most colleges assign a fixed GPA value to each letter: A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7, F = 0.0. To find your GPA for a single class, map your letter grade to its GPA value; to find a cumulative GPA, weight each course's GPA value by its credit hours. This page calculates percentages and letter grades — use a dedicated GPA calculator to convert those letter grades into a GPA.
Some instructors round to the nearest whole percent — so 89.5% becomes 90%, bumping it from B+ to A-. Others use a strict cutoff with no rounding. This calculator shows your percentage to two decimal places so you can apply your instructor's rounding rule yourself. If you know your teacher rounds at 0.5, check whether your unrounded percentage is within 0.5 of a letter boundary — you may be on the edge of a different grade. The letter shown here uses unrounded arithmetic by default.
On the common +/- scale, a plain A starts at 93%, not 90%. The 90–92.99% band is reserved for A-. This is a deliberate feature of plus/minus grading: it creates finer distinctions at the top of the scale rather than grouping every score from 90–100 together as a single A. If your school uses a straight 10-point scale without plus/minus bands, a 90% would be a plain A. Check your syllabus — the rule varies more than most students expect.
Common mistakes with this calculator
The percentage formula is two operations, but these errors still come up
regularly.
Entering the wrong denominator
The “points possible” field is the maximum score for this specific assignment, not your course total or your gradebook’s running denominator. A 45 on a 50-point quiz is 90%; a 45 on a 60-point quiz is 75%. If you pull the score from a gradebook display that does not show the denominator clearly, confirm the assignment’s maximum before entering it — the percentage is only as accurate as the denominator you supply.
Assuming the letter grade here matches your transcript
The letter grade shown uses one common plus/minus scale (A ≥ 93%, A− ≥ 90%, B+ ≥ 87%, etc.). Many instructors and schools use different cutoffs — a 10-point straight scale (A = 90–100, no plus/minus), a 90/80/70/60 split, or custom boundaries stated in the syllabus. The percentage this calculator gives is always exact given your inputs; treat the letter as an approximation and verify it against your actual course scale.
Ignoring your instructor’s rounding rule
Whether a professor rounds 89.5% up to 90% (bumping a B+ to A−) or holds a strict cutoff matters most near letter-grade boundaries. This calculator shows two decimal places so you can see exactly where you stand relative to a threshold. If your result is within a point of a cutoff, check your syllabus for whether the professor rounds and at what precision — the letter outcome can turn on that policy alone.
Treating a single assignment percentage as your course grade
One assignment’s percentage is not your course grade — it is one data point weighted according to your syllabus. An 75% on a quiz worth 5% of your course grade moves your overall by at most 3.75 points. Use this calculator to understand individual scores; use a weighted grade calculator to see the impact on your overall standing. The two numbers answer different questions.