Grade Percentage Calculator
Use this free grade percentage calculator to turn any test score into a percentage and a letter grade. Enter your points earned and points possible — or the number of questions you got right or wrong — and the calculator returns your percentage grade instantly, along with the matching letter grade.
Grade Percentage Calculator
Turn marks out of a total into a clean percentage and letter.
GPA: —
Enter the marks earned and the total to see the percentage.
How to turn marks into a percentage
A percentage grade is the marks you earned divided by the marks available, times 100. It works for any points-based assignment — quizzes, essays graded out of a rubric total, or whole exams.
percentage = (earned ÷ total) × 100Example: 45 out of 50 is (45 ÷ 50) × 100 = 90%, an A-. Extra-credit scores above the total are allowed, so 105 out of 100 reads as 105%.
Divide the marks you earned by the total possible and multiply by 100. The calculator also shows the matching letter grade and GPA.
Yes. If you earned extra-credit points beyond the total, the percentage will read above 100%.
The result shows the letter on the standard US scale; you can also use the letter grade calculator for any percentage on its own.
Below the tool you’ll find the formula, step-by-step examples for both score→percent and correct/wrong→percent, a percentage-to-letter-grade chart, a percentage-to-GPA table, and answers to the most common grading questions.
How to Calculate a Grade Percentage
A grade percentage is just a raw score expressed out of 100. You divide what you earned by what was possible, then multiply by 100.
The formula
Percentage = ( Points earned ÷ Points possible ) × 100That’s the whole thing. The same formula works whether you’re counting points, marks, or correct answers — the only question is what goes in the numerator and denominator.
Worked example
You scored 43 out of 50 on a test.
- Divide points earned by points possible:
43 ÷ 50 = 0.86. - Multiply by 100:
0.86 × 100 = 86.
Your grade is 86%, which is a B on a standard grading scale.
The result is a ratio turned into a percentage: the fraction 43/50 and the percentage 86% describe the same thing in different forms.
What Percentage Is [Score] Out of [Total]?
This is the most common way people use a grade percentage calculator — they have a score like “18 out of 24” and want the percent.
Take 18 out of 24:
18 ÷ 24 = 0.750.75 × 100 = 75%
18 out of 24 is 75%, a C on most scales.
A few quick conversions for reference:
| Score (out of total) | Percentage | Typical letter |
|---|---|---|
| 9 / 10 | 90% | A− |
| 18 / 24 | 75% | C |
| 43 / 50 | 86% | B |
| 27 / 30 | 90% | A− |
| 65 / 80 | 81.25% | B− |
If your score uses marks obtained out of total marks (common outside the US), the calculation is identical: marks obtained ÷ maximum marks × 100.
Number Correct or Wrong → Percentage
If you’re grading a stack of papers, or you just know how many questions you missed, you don’t need a point total — you need the count of questions.
From number correct
Percentage = ( Correct answers ÷ Total questions ) × 100From number wrong
First find how many you got right, then apply the same formula:
Correct = Total questions − Number wrong
Percentage = ( Correct ÷ Total questions ) × 100Worked example: a 40-question quiz, and you missed 6.
- Correct answers:
40 − 6 = 34. 34 ÷ 40 = 0.85.0.85 × 100 = 85%— a B.
How many questions can I miss and still get the grade I want?
This is the teacher-and-student favorite. On a 40-question test, here’s how missed questions map to your percentage:
| Questions wrong | Correct | Percentage | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 40 | 100% | A |
| 2 | 38 | 95% | A |
| 4 | 36 | 90% | A− |
| 6 | 34 | 85% | B |
| 8 | 32 | 80% | B− |
| 12 | 28 | 70% | C− |
So to keep an A (90%) on a 40-question test, you can miss at most 4 questions. To find your own limit, multiply the total by your target percentage to get the correct answers you need, then subtract from the total.
Percentage to Letter Grade
A percentage grade becomes a letter grade by checking it against a grading scale. The most common scale in U.S. schools is the 10-point scale with plus/minus refinements:
| Percentage | Letter grade |
|---|---|
| 97–100 | A+ |
| 93–96 | A |
| 90–92 | A− |
| 87–89 | B+ |
| 83–86 | B |
| 80–82 | B− |
| 77–79 | C+ |
| 73–76 | C |
| 70–72 | C− |
| 67–69 | D+ |
| 63–66 | D |
| 60–62 | D− |
| Below 60 | F |
A simpler version some schools use drops the plus/minus and sets whole-letter grade boundaries at 90 (A), 80 (B), 70 (C), 60 (D), and below 60 (F). The passing percentage is usually 60% (a D) for individual courses, though many programs require a C or higher to count.
Grading scales vary by institution, so confirm the exact cutoffs on your syllabus before treating any letter as final.
Percentage to GPA
To convert a percentage grade into a point on the 4.0 GPA scale, map the percentage to its letter grade, then to its grade points:
| Percentage | Letter | GPA (4.0 scale) |
|---|---|---|
| 93–100 | A | 4.0 |
| 90–92 | A− | 3.7 |
| 87–89 | B+ | 3.3 |
| 83–86 | B | 3.0 |
| 80–82 | B− | 2.7 |
| 77–79 | C+ | 2.3 |
| 73–76 | C | 2.0 |
| 70–72 | C− | 1.7 |
| 67–69 | D+ | 1.3 |
| 63–66 | D | 1.0 |
| 60–62 | D− | 0.7 |
| Below 60 | F | 0.0 |
This converts a single grade. Your actual GPA averages the grade points from all your courses, usually weighted by credit hours — that’s a separate calculation handled by a dedicated GPA Calculator. Conversion tables also differ between schools, so treat this as a common approximation rather than a universal rule.
Your Overall Grade Percentage Across Assignments
If you want your overall percentage from several scores and every assignment counts equally, there are two valid methods — and they don’t always agree, which surprises people.
Method 1 — Total points (recommended when point values differ). Add up all points earned and all points possible, then divide.
Overall % = ( Total points earned ÷ Total points possible ) × 100Example: 18/20, 42/50, and 27/30.
- Earned:
18 + 42 + 27 = 87 - Possible:
20 + 50 + 30 = 100 87 ÷ 100 × 100 = 87%
Method 2 — Average of percentages. Convert each score to a percent and average them: (90% + 84% + 90%) ÷ 3 = 88%.
The two methods give 87% vs 88% for the same scores. Method 1 effectively gives bigger assignments more pull (each point counts the same); Method 2 treats each assignment the same regardless of size. Neither is “wrong” — they answer slightly different questions.
If your assignments carry different category weights (quizzes 15%, exams 40%, and so on), neither simple method applies. Use the Weighted Grade Calculator instead, which multiplies each category by its weight.
Grade Percentage vs. Final Grade vs. GPA
These three get used interchangeably, but they measure different things:
- Grade percentage — a single score turned into a percent (and optionally a letter grade). The simple conversion this page handles, like 86% from 43/50.
- Final grade — your overall course grade for the whole term, combining every weighted assessment including the final exam. If you’re trying to work out the score you need on your final, use the Final Grade Calculator.
- GPA — the average of your letter grades converted to grade points, across courses and weighted by credit hours. Use the GPA Calculator.
In short: a grade percentage is one score, a final grade is one course, and a GPA is your whole record.
How to Calculate a Grade Percentage in Excel or Google Sheets
Every formula above works in a spreadsheet.
Score to percentage (43 out of 50):
=43/50*100 → returns 86Number wrong to percentage (40 questions, 6 wrong):
=(40-6)/40*100 → returns 85Overall percentage — points earned in B2:B10, points possible in C2:C10:
=SUM(B2:B10)/SUM(C2:C10)*100Percentage to letter grade — for a percentage in A2, whole-letter version:
=IFS(A2>=90,"A", A2>=80,"B", A2>=70,"C", A2>=60,"D", TRUE,"F")For the full plus/minus scale, build a two-column grade chart and look the percentage up with an approximate-match VLOOKUP.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate a grade percentage?
Divide your points earned by the points possible and multiply by 100. For example, 43 out of 50 is 43 ÷ 50 × 100 = 86%. The same formula works for marks or for correct answers out of total questions.
What is the grade percentage formula?
Percentage = (points earned ÷ points possible) × 100. When you’re counting questions, the equivalent is (correct answers ÷ total questions) × 100.
What is 18 out of 24 as a percentage?
18 ÷ 24 = 0.75, so 18 out of 24 is 75%, a C on a standard scale.
What letter grade is 85%?
On the common U.S. scale, 85% is a B (the B band runs 83–86%, with B− at 80–82% and B+ at 87–89%). Your school’s cutoffs may differ slightly.
How many questions can I get wrong and still get an A?
Multiply the total questions by 0.90 to find the correct answers you need for a 90% A, then subtract from the total. On a 40-question test you need 36 correct, so you can miss 4.
How do I convert a percentage to a letter grade?
Match the percentage to a grading scale. Generally 90%+ is an A, 80s a B, 70s a C, 60s a D, and below 60 an F, with plus/minus bands inside each range. Always check your syllabus for exact boundaries.
What is a passing percentage?
For most individual courses the passing percentage is 60% (a D), but many programs require a 70% (C) or higher for the course to count toward a degree.
How do I convert a percentage to GPA?
Map the percentage to its letter grade, then to grade points on the 4.0 scale (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0.0, with +/− steps between). This converts one grade; your overall GPA averages all courses by credit hours.
How do I calculate my overall grade percentage from several assignments?
If everything counts equally, add all points earned and divide by all points possible, then multiply by 100. If assignments have different weights, use a weighted grade calculator instead, since a simple average won’t reflect the weighting.
How do I calculate percentage of marks?
Divide your marks obtained by the total (maximum) marks and multiply by 100. For example, 360 marks out of 500 is 360 ÷ 500 × 100 = 72%.
Results from this grade percentage calculator are estimates based on the numbers you enter. Grading scales and passing thresholds vary by school, so confirm your official grade against your syllabus and instructor’s gradebook.