1Communication
6Professionalism
9Knowledge Application
10Information LiteracyMost students don't know. Now you will.
At some point, you're going to check your grade and feel confused because the number doesn't match what you expected.
You'll wonder what's being counted, how much each assignment matters, and whether you can still turn things around. This Trail Tip answers those questions before you need them. There are two things to understand: how your grade works inside a single class, and how that grade feeds into your overall GPA. Both are simpler than they look, once someone explains them.
Most courses use one of two grading approaches. Knowing which one your instructor uses changes how you think about every assignment.
Every assignment is worth a set number of points. Your grade is your total earned points divided by the total possible points.
| Assignment | Earned | Possible |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Reflection 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Discussion | 1 | 1 |
| Quick check | 0.5 | 1 |
| Total | 8.5 | 10 |
8.5 ÷ 10 = 85%, a B
Different categories of work count for different percentages of your grade. How you do in each category matters more than the points on any single assignment.
| Category | Weight | Your score | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exams | 50% | 78% | 39.0 |
| Assignments | 30% | 92% | 27.6 |
| Participation | 20% | 85% | 17.0 |
| Final grade | 83.6% | ||
39.0 + 27.6 + 17.0 = 83.6%, a B
In weighted grading, a strong exam score matters more than a perfect homework record.
Check each course's syllabus. It tells you whether the course is points-based or weighted, and how the work breaks down. Your syllabus is the contract for the course, so it's the place to look first, including for this one.
It's easy to look at a small assignment and think, "That's basically nothing." But small assignments add up. A handful of low-point activities can make up a real share of your final grade, and skipping them is one of the most common ways a B turns into a C. There are no throwaway assignments.
Your GPA, or grade point average, summarizes your academic performance across all your courses, and it's simple math once you see how it works.
Quality points: a course's grade points multiplied by its credit hours.
Letter grades convert to grade points on a 4.0 scale.
At KCTCS colleges, the failing grade is an E, not an F. That's because F has its own job: it's used only in pass-fail courses, where you earn either a P (pass) or an F (fail). In a regular graded course, an E earns no credit and 0 grade points, and it still counts in your GPA.
A D isn't always enough. A D earns credit at KCTCS, but some courses require a C or better to pass or to count toward your program. FYE 100 is one of them: you need at least a C to pass. Check each syllabus, and ask your Success Coach which courses in your program have a C-or-better rule.
You may see other grades on your record. A W (withdrawal), I (incomplete), or P (pass in a pass-fail course) doesn't count in your GPA. See the KCTCS catalog (opens in a new tab) for the full list.
Each course counts toward your GPA based on its credit hours. A 4-credit course has more impact than a 1-credit course, even if you earn the same grade in both. Multiply each course's grade points by its credit hours to get its quality points. Then divide the total quality points by the total credit hours.
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade points | Quality points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG 101 | 3 | A | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| MAT 150 | 3 | B | 3.0 | 9.0 |
| BIO 112 | 4 | C | 2.0 | 8.0 |
| FYE 100 | 1 | A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Totals | 11 | 33.0 |
GPA = 33 ÷ 11 = 3.0
Credit hours matter as much as grades. A C in a 4-credit course pulls your GPA down more than a C in a 1-credit course. When you're deciding where to put your study time, heavier courses deserve more of it.
Lesson 5.1: Quantitative Reasoning. This is that skill, applied to your grades.
Work each problem on your own first, on paper or in your head. Then open the answer to check yourself.
You've earned 76 out of 100 possible points in a course so far. What's your grade percentage, and what letter grade is that?
76 ÷ 100 = 76%, a C on a standard scale. Check your syllabus, since grade cutoffs can vary by course.
You take HIS 101 (3 credits) and earn a B, PSY 110 (3 credits) and earn an A, and MAT 110 (4 credits) and earn a C. What's your GPA?
Quality points: 3 × 3.0 = 9, 3 × 4.0 = 12, 4 × 2.0 = 8. Total 29 quality points ÷ 10 credits = 2.9.
A course weights exams at 60% and assignments at 40%. You score 70% on exams and 95% on assignments. What's your final grade?
0.60 × 70 = 42, and 0.40 × 95 = 38. 42 + 38 = 80%, a B. Notice how the exam score held the grade down, even with strong assignments.
You have a 2.5 GPA after 20 credit hours. Next semester you take 12 credits and earn straight A's. Why does a higher-credit semester have more impact on your GPA than a lighter one?
Your old quality points are 2.5 × 20 = 50. The new semester adds 4.0 × 12 = 48. Your new GPA is 98 ÷ 32, about 3.06. More credit hours means more quality points going into the average, so a heavier semester moves your GPA further, up or down.
You don't have to wait until midterm to find out where you stand. Check your grades in Blackboard, read each syllabus, and do the math. If the numbers don't make sense, ask your instructor, who can walk you through it.
