A score on its own tells you very little — 43 out of 50 means nothing until you know it is 86%, and that 86% is a B. This grade percentage calculator converts any score into a percentage and the letter grade it earns, works backwards from a target percentage to the points you need, and shows exactly how much a new grade moved you.
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Convert a score to a percentage, a percentage to points, or compare two grades.
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How this calculator works
A percentage expresses a score out of 100. Divide the points you earned by the points possible and multiply by 100.
Percentage = earned ÷ possible × 100 Points = percentage ÷ 100 × total Change = new − old
Example: 43 out of 50 is 43 ÷ 50 × 100 = 86%. To find 85% of a 60-point test: 0.85 × 60 = 51 points. Going from 72% to 81% is +9 percentage points, a 12.5% relative increase.
Grading scale used by default
United States — letter grades with +/−. The most common US high school and college scale. Many schools use it, but cut-offs vary — always check your syllabus.
| Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A+ | 97% and above |
| A | 93% – 96.99% |
| A− | 90% – 92.99% |
| B+ | 87% – 89.99% |
| B | 83% – 86.99% |
| B− | 80% – 82.99% |
| C+ | 77% – 79.99% |
| C | 73% – 76.99% |
| C− | 70% – 72.99% |
| D+ | 67% – 69.99% |
| D | 63% – 66.99% |
| D− | 60% – 62.99% |
| F | 0% – 59.99% |
Grading scales differ between countries, schools and even individual courses. Use the grading scale button in the calculator to switch to a US, UK, Canadian or Australian scale, or to enter your own cut-offs.
Three modes, three questions
The "What do you want to work out?" selector switches between three calculations.
Score → % — the everyday one. Enter what you scored and what it was out of. Enter 43 and 50 and you get 86%, along with the letter grade that percentage earns on your chosen scale.
% → points — the reverse. You know the percentage you need and you want it in points. On a quiz worth 60 points, 85% is 51 points. Aiming for 90% instead? 54 points.
Grade change — enter a previous grade and a new one to see what actually moved. From 72% to 81% is a gain of 9 percentage points, which is a 12.5% improvement on where you were. Those are two different numbers, and mixing them up is common.
How to calculate grade percentage
Percentage = (points earned ÷ points possible) × 100
Divide, then multiply by 100.
43 out of 50:
43 ÷ 50 = 0.86
0.86 × 100 = 86%
38 out of 40:
38 ÷ 40 = 0.95
0.95 × 100 = 95%
To work backwards and find the points a target percentage requires:
Points needed = (target % ÷ 100) × points possible
85% of a 60-point quiz:
85 ÷ 100 = 0.85
0.85 × 60 = 51 points
One rule matters more than the formula: round once, at the end. Rounding each intermediate step introduces errors that compound, and on a boundary score that error is worth a whole letter grade.
Percentage to letter grade chart
This is the standard US scale with plus and minus grades — the chart most schools in the United States use, and the one this calculator applies by default.
| Percentage | Letter grade | GPA points |
|---|---|---|
| 97–100% | A+ | 4.0 |
| 93–96% | 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 |
| 0–59% | F | 0.0 |
Read in the other direction: an A− starts at 90% and a full A at 93%. A B starts at 83%, a B− at 80%. A C starts at 73%, a C− at 70%. Anything below 60% is failing.
Not every institution uses plus and minus grades, and the two simpler systems below are both common. Check your syllabus before relying on any of the three — the calculator lets you switch between them, and build your own if none match.
The 10 point grading scale
Each letter spans ten percentage points. This is the most widely used simple scale in US high schools.
| Percentage | Letter |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| 0–59% | F |
The 7 point grading scale
An older and stricter system, still used in some districts and private schools. Every band sits higher than its ten-point equivalent.
| Percentage | Letter |
|---|---|
| 93–100% | A |
| 85–92% | B |
| 77–84% | C |
| 70–76% | D |
| 0–69% | F |
The difference is not cosmetic. An 88% is a B+ on the plus/minus scale, a B on the ten-point scale, and a B on the seven-point scale. A 78% is a C+ on the plus/minus scale and a C on both of the others. Same score, three different letters on your transcript.
Common percentages and what they mean
The scores people look up most often, on the standard US plus/minus scale:
| Percentage | Letter | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 88% | B+ | Two points below an A− |
| 85% | B | Comfortably mid-range |
| 83% | B | The bottom of the B band |
| 80% | B− | The lowest B |
| 79% | C+ | One point below a B− |
| 78% | C+ | Upper C range |
| 76% | C | The top of the C band |
| 75% | C | Mid C |
| 73% | C | The bottom of the C band |
| 70% | C− | The lowest passing C |
| 68% | D+ | Passing, but only just |
| 65% | D | Passing in most courses |
| 60% | D− | The usual minimum to pass |
Three of these sit on knife edges. 80%, 83% and 73% are each the first number in their band — one point lower and the letter drops. If your course average is sitting on any of them, the next assignment matters more than its point value suggests.
Rounding decides more grades than people realize
Here is the case every other calculator skips.
You finish a course on 89.5%. On the plus/minus scale that is a B+ — an A− begins at 90%. But many schools round to the nearest whole number, which turns 89.5% into 90% and a B+ into an A−.
Same score. Different letter on the transcript. The only variable was a policy written somewhere in your syllabus.
Three rounding policies are common:
- No rounding — 89.5% stays 89.5% and stays a B+
- Round to the nearest whole number — 89.5% becomes 90% and an A−
- Round down (truncate) — 89.9% becomes 89% and stays a B+
The rounding control in this calculator lets you see both outcomes instead of guessing which one applies. Most tools pick one silently and never mention it. If you are within half a point of a boundary, find out what your school does before you assume.
Percentage points vs percent change
Two measurements that sound the same and are not.
Going from 72% to 81%:
- +9 percentage points — the plain difference between the two numbers
- +12.5% — the relative improvement, because 9 is 12.5% of 72
Both are correct; they answer different questions. "How much did my grade go up?" wants the 9. "How much better did I do?" wants the 12.5%. The Grade change mode returns both, so you do not have to choose.
The same percentage on other grading systems
Percentages do not travel. An 85% is a solid B in the United States and a first-class result in the United Kingdom.
| Percentage | US | UK (undergraduate) | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85% | B | First (1st) | High Distinction |
| 75% | C | First (1st) | Distinction |
| 68% | D+ | Upper second (2:1) | Credit |
| 62% | D− | Lower second (2:2) | Pass |
| 55% | F | Third | Pass |
| 45% | F | Fail | Fail |
Assuming a US scale is the single most common error in online grade tools. Switch scales in the calculator if yours is not American, and if your institution uses something none of these match, build a custom scale — it will be remembered on your next visit.
Converting a score vs converting a letter
This page converts in both directions, but it is built around the score.
- You have a score and want the grade — that is this page. Enter the points, get the percentage and the letter.
- You have a percentage or a letter and want the full scale — the letter grade calculator handles that, with every band on every supported scale side by side.
Most people arrive here with a number from a returned test. They arrive at the other page with a question about the scale itself.
Mistakes that produce wrong answers
- Entering the points backwards. 43 out of 50 is 86%. 50 out of 43 is 116%, which should tell you something has gone wrong.
- Averaging percentages from assignments of different sizes. 100% on a 5-point quiz and 60% on a 100-point test is not 80%. That needs a weighted calculation.
- Rounding at every step. Round once, at the end.
- Assuming 90% is an A. On a plus/minus scale, 90% is an A−. A full A starts at 93%.
- Using a ten-point chart on a seven-point school. An 85% is a B on both, but a 92% is an A− on one and a B on the other.
- Treating percentage points and percent change as the same number. They are not.
Questions
What is a 73 percent grade?
73% is a C on the standard US plus/minus scale — the bottom of the C band. One point lower and it becomes a C−. On a ten-point scale it is also a C; on a seven-point scale it is a D.
What percentage is an A?
An A− starts at 90%, a full A at 93%, and an A+ at 97%. On a ten-point scale, anything from 90% up is an A.
What is a 79 in letter grade terms?
79% is a C+ — the top of the C+ band, one point below a B−. It is one of the most frustrating scores on the scale for exactly that reason.
What percentage is a B?
A B− starts at 80%, a B at 83%, and a B+ at 87%. On a ten-point scale a B is anything from 80% to 89%.
Is 65% a passing grade?
Usually. 65% is a D, and a D is a pass in most courses. But many programs require a C or better for a course to count toward the major, and some will not accept a D at all. Check your program requirements, not just the grading scale.
Does this calculator store my scores?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server and no account is required.