Average your test scores
Test Average Calculator: Average and Score Needed
Average your test scores, drop the lowest if your class allows it, and find the score you need on the next test or tests to reach a target average.
88.5% B
Average of 4 scores.
To average 90%, you need a score of 96% on the next test.
Every test counts equally. If tests are worth different points, use the points grade calculator.
The chart is calculated in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded or saved. Scores are rounded half up to the precision you choose, and the letter is based on that rounded score, so 89.5% shown as 90% earns the 90 band. Check your school’s own grading scale and rounding policy.
How the test average is calculated
Add the scores and divide by how many there are. 88, 92, 79 and 95 add up to 354, so the average is 354 ÷ 4 = 88.5%. Dropping the lowest score (79) leaves 275 ÷ 3 = 91.7%.
- Score needed = (target × (tests taken + tests left) − sum of scores) ÷ tests left.
- With a target of 90% and one test left: (90 × 5 − 354) ÷ 1 = 96%.
- If tests are worth different points or categories have weights, use the points or weighted calculators instead.
Common questions
What score do I need to raise my average?
Enter your scores, a target average and the number of tests left. The calculator shows the score, or the average across those tests, that reaches the target.
Should I drop the lowest score?
Only if your teacher or syllabus says so. Turn on Drop the lowest score to see the average with that rule.
The studio notebook
A useful place to begin.
Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.
How to Calculate a Test Score (Percent, Points, Wrong Answers)
Work out a test score as a percentage from questions right, questions wrong or points earned, with worked examples, half points and rounding.
Letter Grade Scales Explained: 10-Point and Plus/Minus
See how a common 10-point letter grade scale and a plus/minus scale work, why schools differ, and how rounding affects a cutoff such as 89.5.
How Weighted Grades Work: Categories, Weights and Examples
Learn how weighted grades combine homework, quizzes and tests, with a worked example, what to do when weights do not total 100, and common mistakes.
What Grade Do I Need on My Final? Formula and Examples
Use one formula to find the score you need on a final exam to reach a target grade, with worked examples and notes on what counts as your current grade.
How to Curve Grades: Four Common Methods With Examples
Compare four ways to curve test scores: a flat bonus, scaling the top score to 100, the square root curve and a target average, with worked arithmetic.
Grade Faster With a Grading Chart: A Teacher Workflow
A practical workflow for grading a test with a chart: build the answer key, count wrong answers, read the score, handle half points and double-check.