How to Figure Out GPA

Students looking at exam results

So you've taken a few classes in either high school or college and received a variety of grades, and now you want to calculate your grade point average. Most schools use your cumulative GPA for ranking purposes, so knowing how to calculate your GPA is very important.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. First, determine whether your high school or college uses a 4.0 scale or a 5.0 scale. Most, if not all, colleges and universities use a 4.0 scale, but many high schools use a 5.0 GPA scale.

2. Make three columns on a sheet of paper. In the first column, list the classes you have taken. In the second column, list the total number of hours each class is worth. In the third column, list the total number of points your grade for each class translates into. As a general rule of thumb, using a 4.0 scale, a grade of:

   A = 4.0

   A- = 3.7

   B+ = 3.3

   B = 3.0

   B- = 2.7

   C+ = 2.3

   C = 2.0

3. So if you took a three-hour math class and earned an A, you would multiply across to get 12 grade points (3 hours X 4.0). If you took a four-hour English class and the grade you received was a B-, you would multiply across to get 10.8 grade points (4 hours X 2.7).

4. Add the total number of points. In the example above, you would add 12 grade points plus 10.8 grade points for a total of 22.8.

5. Divide the total number of points you earned by the total number of hours you have taken. Continuing with the previous example, divide 22.8 grade points by 7 hours (since the math class was three hours and the English class was four hours). The result is a cumulative GPA of 3.25.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many different ways to figure out your GPA; this is just one way to do it.

• Try searching for GPA calculators online if you find the math difficult to do by hand

References

• University of Oregon: Pi Sigma Alpha: Calculating Major GPA Worksheet