A Test Score Calculator
A test score is the marks you earned divided by the marks available. The arithmetic is one division, but the answer is reported in three different currencies: the raw mark, the percentage, and the letter grade. Only the first two are yours to compute.
Percentage score
84.00%
- Raw points earned
- 42
- Maximum points available
- 50
- Questions answered incorrectly
- 8
Values update as you type. This calculator covers the single scenario its formula assumes — see Common Mistakes for what it leaves out.
The formula this calculator uses
Percentage score = (correct / total) x 100
- correct
- Number of questions answered correctly, 42 in the running example
- total
- Number of questions on the paper, 50 here
- pointsEach
- Points awarded per correct question, 1 when every question is equal
- percentage
- Correct divided by total, 0.84 here, shown as 84 per cent when multiplied by 100
How to check the result by hand
- 1
Write down the correct count and the total available
Record the number of questions answered correctly, 42 in our running example, and the number of questions on the paper, 50. Keep the two figures separate before dividing, so the wrong-answer check stays available later and the classic slip of dividing by the wrong total is avoided.
- 2
Decide how many points each question is worth
If every question carries one point, the raw score is 42 and the maximum is 50. If they carry two, the raw score becomes 84 out of 100 and the percentage is still 0.84. Multiply both the correct count and the total by the same value so the ratio stays honest.
- 3
Divide the raw score by the maximum
42 / 50 = 0.84, and 43 / 50 = 0.86. Do the division on the raw totals rather than on already-rounded percentages, because rounding before dividing lets a boundary case land on the wrong side of a grade cut.
- 4
Convert to a percentage if the band uses one
Multiply the decimal by 100 to read 84 per cent, then compare it with the grade band your institution publishes. Note that 0.82 from 41 correct and 0.86 from 43 correct sit either side of many common B-to-A boundaries, so a single question moves the letter.
- 5
Apply the grade band and the rounding rule last
Only after the percentage is settled should you map it to a letter or a pass label, and only then round for reporting. Rounding 0.84 down to 0.8 before consulting the band would place 42 correct answers below the mark that 40 correct answers already reach.
For worked examples, common mistakes and the limits of this formula, read the full How To Calculate A Test Score page.