How Weighted Grades Work

Learn how category and assessment weights change a course average, with a worked example.

What a weighted grade means

A weighted grading system gives different assessments or categories different shares of the final course grade. A final exam worth 30% has three times the influence of a quiz worth 10%, even if both are scored out of 100 points.

Convert percentages to decimals

For calculations, 30% becomes 0.30 and 70% becomes 0.70. The weights used in one final average should normally add to 1.00, or 100%.

Worked example

Suppose coursework is 70% of the class and your coursework average is 84%. The final exam is 30% and you score 90%. Your course grade is 84 × 0.70 + 90 × 0.30 = 85.8%.

Why raw points can mislead

If categories are weighted, simply adding every point earned and dividing by every point possible can produce the wrong result because the gradebook may normalize each category before applying its weight.

Check the syllabus

Dropped assignments, replacement exams, bonus points and rounding rules can all change the calculation. Use the syllabus and official gradebook as the final authority.

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Reviewed for CurioLift v0.2 • October 2026