How GPA Calculators calculate your GPA
Applying to colleges can be a competitive process, so you want to have a grade point average (or GPA) that will catch the eye of admissions officers. There are several factors that can affect your GPA: grades, number of credits, and difficulty of courses. If you plan to apply to college, it’s important that you know what your GPA is, and what the institution(s) to which you plan on applying require it to be before you start sending out applications. The sooner you start tracking it, the more time you’ll have to fix it if it’s not where you want it to be.
GPA Grading Scale
Before using a GPA calculator, letter grades need to be converted to numbers. A standard college grading scale issues the following grade points:
A = 4.00
A- = 3.70
B+ = 3.40
B = 3.00
B- = 2.70
C+ = 2.30
C = 2.00
C- = 1.70
D+ = 1.30
D = 1.00
D- = 0.70
F = 0.00
## How GPA Calculators Work
A GPA calculator uses a three-step process. The first step is to calculate the total grade points you have earned. For each class taken, the grade point needs to be multiplied by the number of credits the course was worth. This process is repeated for every class attempted, whether they were passed/completed or not. Once all of the individual course grade points have been calculated, they need to be added up to get the total grade points earned.
The second part of the process used by a GPA calculator is to add up the total number of credits for every class that has been taken was worth. This will give the total number of credits attempted. Finally, the GPA calculator divides the total grade points earned by the total number of credits attempted. Sometimes, when there are more difficult classes taken, the GPA might need to be weighted.
Weighted GPA
When advanced courses have been taken, such as honors or advanced placement (AP) classes, the GPA calculator might use a weighted GPA to account for the additional difficulty level. The standard process of weighting grades is to add 0.50 points to grades received in honors classes and 1.00 grade points to those earned in AP courses. So, an A received in an honors course would be worth 4.50 grade points and, in and AP class, it would be worth 5.00. These changes must be made prior to the first step of the GPA calculation. Not all Universities accept weighted GPA’s, though, so that is information of which applicants should take note.
## How to Raise a GPA
Early detection of a GPA that’s not quite what it should be is vital to having the time needed to correct it. There are GPA calculators that can help in raising your GPA. These calculations, however, are much more involved. The first step is to account for both the current GPA and the number of credits attempted so far.
At this point, most GPA calculators will allow the student to enter the number of points by which they’re hoping to raise the GPA. It will then account for the number of credits left to complete and give the minimum GPA necessary to accomplish the desired raise. In this way, GPA calculators are clearly a useful tool in the college application process.
Still confused about GPA calculation?
Check out this helpful guide on GPA calculation by eHow below.