What Makes a Grade "Weighted"
A weighted grade assigns different importance to different categories of work. For example, a class might weight homework at 20%, quizzes at 20%, tests at 30%, and the final exam at 30%. Simply averaging every assignment equally would misrepresent your actual grade.
The Weighted Grade Formula
Final Grade = Σ (Category Average × Category Weight)
Worked Example
| Category | Average | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 92% | 20% | 18.4 |
| Quizzes | 85% | 20% | 17.0 |
| Tests | 78% | 30% | 23.4 |
| Final Exam | 88% | 30% | 26.4 |
| Total | 100% | 85.2% |
An 85.2% typically converts to a B letter grade - notice how this differs from a simple unweighted average of the four category scores (85.75%), because the categories don't count equally.
Common Mistakes
The most common error is forgetting that weights must add up to 100%. If your syllabus lists weights that don't sum correctly, double-check with your instructor before calculating.
For a category-by-category tool that does this math for you, try the weighted grade calculator.