Key takeaway
To total several assignments into one percentage, sum all points earned and all points possible across assignments, then divide: % = total earned ÷ total possible × 100. This works even when assignments have different point values (a 20-pt and a 50-pt assignment combine correctly by summing, not averaging their %).
Scope and assumptions
Dropped-lowest and extra-credit rules are set by the instructor. Confirm on the official syllabus. This site is informational and not official.
Short answer: To total several assignments into one percentage, sum all points earned and all points possible across assignments, then divide: % = total earned ÷ total possible × 100. This works even when assignments have different point values (a 20-pt and a 50-pt assignment combine correctly by summing, not averaging their %).
Quick navigation
- Single score % → how-to-calculate-test-percentage
- Weighted grade → weighted-grade-percentage
- Overall grade → grade-percentage-formula
- Hub → exam-percentage-hub
1. The formula
Assignment total % = (Σ earned) ÷ (Σ possible) × 100
2. Different point values
| Assignment | Earned | Possible |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 17 | 20 |
| Problem set | 44 | 50 |
| Project | 38 | 40 |
| Quiz | 9 | 10 |
Total earned = 108; total possible = 120. % = 108 ÷ 120 × 100 = 90.0%
Averaging the four individual % (85, 88, 95, 90 → 89.5%) is close only because totals are similar; with unequal values it drifts — always sum points.
3. Running total & tracking
Keep a running ledger: after each graded item, add earned and possible. Your current % is the running total at any moment — useful to see how a new assignment moves you.
4. Dropped-lowest & extra credit
- Dropped lowest: remove that assignment's earned and possible before summing.
- Extra credit: add its points to earned (and possible, if the rubric includes it).
5. Common mistakes
- Averaging assignment % instead of summing points when values differ.
- Forgetting a dropped-lowest assignment is excluded from both totals.
- Counting attempted, not possible, points.
- Rounding the running % before the final.
- Mixing this total with the course grade — assignments are usually one weighted category (see weighted-grade-percentage).
6. Quarterly running ledger
| Item | Earned | Possible | Running % |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 17 | 20 | 85.0 |
| A2 | 44 | 50 | (61/70) 87.1 |
| A3 | 38 | 40 | (99/110) 90.0 |
| A4 | 9 | 10 | (108/120) 90.0 |
| A5 | 23 | 25 | (131/145) 90.3 |
Track after each item — your % drifts with every new assignment's weight.
7. Dropped-lowest worked
Five assignments: 18/20, 44/50, 38/40, 9/10, 5/10. Drop the lowest (5/10=50%).
- Remaining earned = 17+44+38+9 = 108; possible = 20+50+40+10 = 120.
- % = 90.0% (vs 90.3% if kept — dropping the weak one barely helped here because it was small).
Dropping helps most when the dropped item is large and low.
8. Why a ledger beats mental math
A written running total prevents the two errors that distort assignment percentages — averaging individual %'s (wrong when point values differ) and forgetting a dropped-lowest item. Update it after every graded piece: add earned and possible, drop any excluded item from both columns, divide. Because each new assignment carries its own weight, the running number shifts with every submission, turning the end-of-term total into a one-line check.
FAQ
Q: I have assignments worth 20, 50, 40, 10 — how do I total? Sum earned and possible, then divide.
Q: My lowest assignment is dropped — what then? Exclude it from both totals, then divide.
Q: Why is my average of %'s different from the total? Because assignments have different point values; summing points is correct.
Q: How do assignments factor into my grade? Usually as one weighted category (see grade-percentage-formula).
Q: Does extra credit count as possible points? Depends on the rubric — ask the instructor.
Q: Why does my % ledger change after each item? Because each new assignment adds different earned/possible weight.
Q: Are assignments the whole grade? Usually one weighted category; the rest is exams/quizzes (see weighted-grade-percentage).
Sources: NCES & CBSE grading references; NCES — grading practices.
Disclaimer: Dropped-lowest and extra-credit rules are set by the instructor. Confirm on the official syllabus. This site is informational and not official.
Sources and references
- NCES & CBSE grading referenceshttps://nces.ed.gov/
- NCES — grading practiceshttps://nces.ed.gov/