PLANNING

How to Plan Your Grades With What-If Calculations

“What grade do I need?” splits into two honest questions. One is a projection: if I earn X of Y on the next task, where does the running percentage land? The other is a target: given a desired overall percentage, how many points must that next task carry? This site answers the first with the what-if grade calculator and the second with the required assignment score tool.

Neither tool predicts what an instructor will put in the grade book. They only combine the numbers you type.

Current grades

Start from a points ledger you trust. The homepage examples 18/20, 16/20, and 45/50 total 79 earned and 90 possible, about 87.78%. If that is not your work, replace the rows. A what-if scenario that sits on empty totals is just the hypothetical assignment’s own percentage.

Future assignments and hypothetical scores

A hypothetical row has a name, possible points, and expected earned points. Changing expected earned updates the projection immediately. The original ledger does not change until you choose Add to ledger. Reset scenario restores the hypothetical fields, not the assessments you already recorded.

Points-based projections

Projected = (current earned + hypothetical earned) / (current possible + hypothetical possible) × 100. The change is reported in percentage points (projected minus current), which is not the same as a relative percent change of the old grade.

Two worked planning scenarios

Scenario 1 — compare two scores on a 50-point lab after 79/90. At 40 earned, projected = 119/140 ≈ 85.00%, a drop of about 2.78 percentage points from 87.78%. At 45 earned, projected = 124/140 ≈ 88.57%, a rise of about 0.79 percentage points. The lab is large enough to move the course either way; it is not large enough to erase the existing 90 possible points.

Scenario 2 — required points on a 100-point assignment. Current earned 80, current possible 100, next 100, target 85%. Required = 0.85 × 200 − 80 = 90 points, which is 90% of the assignment. If the target were 95%, required = 0.95 × 200 − 80 = 110, which exceeds 100, so the target is not achievable on that assignment alone. If the target were 70%, required = 0.70 × 200 − 80 = 60, already below a passing-looking 70% on the new work; you could even miss some points and still sit above 70% overall. If required is zero or negative, zero on the next assignment still meets the target mathematically—the page will not recommend negative points.

Weighted grading considerations

If the next work sits inside a weighted category, a points projection of the whole course can mislead. Raise the category average first, then recompute the weighted grade, or treat a remaining final as a weighted slice with the final exam calculator. Mixing a points what-if with a 30% exam weight without converting units is a category error, not a rounding error.

Realistic score ranges

Stay inside 0 to possible points. Extra credit is not enabled on these planners. A required score of 105% on a 100-point task is a signal to change the plan (different target, more remaining work, or a syllabus extra-credit rule you have confirmed in writing).

Avoiding premature rounding

Keep unrounded totals while you compare scenarios. Rounding 87.777…% to 88% before adding a 10-point check can nudge a borderline letter the wrong way when you convert later. Classify letters from the unrounded projected percentage on the letter converter.

Estimates rather than guarantees

Dropped scores, curves, participation, and late penalties live outside these equations. Use scenarios to see the arithmetic range, then read the actual policy. More structure: formulas and points-based grades.

FAQ