Test grade calculator
Type the number of questions and the chart fills in: for every possible number of wrong answers, the number correct, the percentage and the letter grade. Adjust the scale to match your policy, then print it and keep it next to the answer key.
Grading chart — 35 questions
Grading chart
| # Wrong | # Correct | Points | Percentage (%) | Letter grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 35 | 35 | 100 | A |
| 1 | 34 | 34 | 97.1 | A |
| 2 | 33 | 33 | 94.3 | A |
| 3 | 32 | 32 | 91.4 | A |
| 4 | 31 | 31 | 88.6 | B |
| 5 | 30 | 30 | 85.7 | B |
| 6 | 29 | 29 | 82.9 | B |
| 7 | 28 | 28 | 80 | B |
| 8 | 27 | 27 | 77.1 | C |
| 9 | 26 | 26 | 74.3 | C |
| 10 | 25 | 25 | 71.4 | C |
| 11 | 24 | 24 | 68.6 | D |
| 12 | 23 | 23 | 65.7 | D |
| 13 | 22 | 22 | 62.9 | D |
| 14 | 21 | 21 | 60 | D |
| 15 | 20 | 20 | 57.1 | F |
| 16 | 19 | 19 | 54.3 | F |
| 17 | 18 | 18 | 51.4 | F |
| 18 | 17 | 17 | 48.6 | F |
| 19 | 16 | 16 | 45.7 | F |
| 20 | 15 | 15 | 42.9 | F |
| 21 | 14 | 14 | 40 | F |
| 22 | 13 | 13 | 37.1 | F |
| 23 | 12 | 12 | 34.3 | F |
| 24 | 11 | 11 | 31.4 | F |
| 25 | 10 | 10 | 28.6 | F |
| 26 | 9 | 9 | 25.7 | F |
| 27 | 8 | 8 | 22.9 | F |
| 28 | 7 | 7 | 20 | F |
| 29 | 6 | 6 | 17.1 | F |
| 30 | 5 | 5 | 14.3 | F |
| 31 | 4 | 4 | 11.4 | F |
| 32 | 3 | 3 | 8.6 | F |
| 33 | 2 | 2 | 5.7 | F |
| 34 | 1 | 1 | 2.9 | F |
| 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | F |
How to use the chart
- Enter the number of questions on the test, or tap one of the common counts.
- If every question is worth the same number of points and you want those points shown, enter it. Otherwise leave it at 1.
- Check the lowest percentage for each grade. Move a slider, or type a number, until the summary line under it matches your policy.
- Find the number of wrong answers in the first column and read across to the letter. Or press Print chart and tape the page to your desk.
Why a chart beats doing the arithmetic each time
Grading a stack of tests, the slow part is not counting the marks, it is converting each count into a percentage and a letter, over and over. A chart turns that into a single lookup. It is also fairer to the class: a score of 31 on a 35-question test gets the same grade on the first paper and the thirtieth, because you are reading it off the same line.
Pair it with a quick way of counting. If you use bubble answer sheets, the grading guide compares ways to count correct answers, and a printable cutout overlay lets you count the correct marks by sight. Then use this page to turn the count into a grade.
About the default scale
A common convention is an A at ninety percent and above, a B at eighty, a C at seventy and a D at sixty, with anything lower an F. We start there because many teachers recognize it, not because it is a standard. Schools, departments and individual teachers set their own cutoffs, and some use plus and minus grades. The calculator gives plain A to F; the percentage column is there so you can apply finer lines of your own.
The sliders keep the four lines in order, so the A line always sits above B, B above C and C above D. A score exactly on a line earns the higher grade.
How the numbers are rounded
Percentages are shown to one decimal place, with the trailing zero dropped, so a perfect paper reads 100 and 31 correct of 35 reads 88.6. The letter grade is decided from the exact fraction, not from the rounded figure. When rounding would make a score look as if it had reached a line it has not, the table shows it cut off instead, so the percentage you read never disagrees with the letter beside it.
Printing the chart
Print chart hides the controls and the rest of the page and prints just the title and the table. A 35-question chart fits on one page. Very long tests run onto a second page, and the column headings repeat at the top of it. Print at actual size and keep a copy with each answer key.
Related tools and sheets
- Bubble sheet generator, to make a sheet with exactly the number of questions you chose here.
- Classroom exam timer, a full-screen countdown for the test itself.
- How to grade bubble sheets, for the counting step.
Grade calculator questions
How do I turn the number of wrong answers into a percentage?
Subtract the wrong answers from the total to get the number correct, divide by the total, and multiply by 100. On a 35-question test, 4 wrong means 31 correct, and 31 divided by 35 is about 0.886, which the chart shows as 88.6. It does that for every possible score at once.
What grading scale does the calculator start with?
It starts with 90, 80, 70 and 60 as the lowest percentages for an A, B, C and D, and anything below 60 is an F. That is a common convention, not a rule. Your school or department may use different cutoffs, so change the sliders to match your own policy.
What happens when a score lands exactly on a cutoff?
It earns the higher grade. With the default scale, 28 right answers on a 35-question test is exactly eighty percent and shows as a B. The letter is decided from the exact fraction, not from the rounded number printed in the table.
Can I use it for a test where questions are worth more than one point?
Yes. Enter the points per question and the chart adds a column with the points earned for each score. The percentage and letter grade do not change, because every question is worth the same amount.
Does it support plus and minus grades?
No. It gives plain A, B, C, D and F. If your school uses plus and minus grades, read the percentage column against your own lines, or print the chart and pencil the extra cutoffs in beside the table.
Does the calculator save or send anything I enter?
No. The numbers you type are used by the page in your browser and are not saved, stored or sent to a server. Reloading the page returns it to the defaults. The calculator never asks for student names.
Planning a test? Browse the printable bubble sheets.