How To Calculate My Class Average

Sometimes you need to know your class average. The calculation of all of your grades helps you track where you stand in a class, and if you are rising to your full potential. It's a handy skill to have as you finish high school, college or for future employment training classes where an impressive class average can impact your income potential.

Knowing your class average is beneficial for a few reasons. It can also give you a boost if you know what you need to do to get an A in a particular class, and how far you may be from achieving that goal. Understanding how to calculate the class average gives you a chance to strive for a better performance if you feel your current average is below what you know you can do. Your class average can help your college application or employment opportunities. If your class average is high, it can bring you to the top of the stack of potential students or employees.

If the instructor is using a point system, each exam, essay or raised hand can affect the outcome. In this case, you need to know what counts as points and where your strengths are within that system. The instructor can offer a full point syllabus or list the total number of points that can be earned during the course of the class. If it is in the middle of the course, you can tally the points based on how well you've done so far and guess based on that number how well you will do in the future to come to a relatively solid estimate of your class average.

Take the total number of points you estimate you will earn and divide that by the number of total points available to earn. If it is lower than you had hoped, you know that your current study system or output is not going to get you where you need to be. On the flip side, this can also relieve pressure if you are earning more points than needed to score a high class average and therefore put more of your efforts into a class where you may be less confident.

In a weighted system, the instructor still uses points for your work, but those points are worth varying amounts based on the category they fall into. Categories can include participation, weekly tests, homework and final exam. Usually you will need to gain the majority of points in each category to come out on top. The benefit of this system is that if one category is less weighted, such as participation, than another, say the final exam, then you can pull up your average by doing well in the higher weighted category. Use the same process to calculate your class average in a weighted system that you use in a pointed system. Take the total number of known points and add in potential points based on your previous performance and divide that by the number of total points available to earn.