EZ Grader

Wrong result or missing a feature? Send feedback

On this page · 6 sections

How to use the EZ Grader calculator

Mark the stack first, so you have a count of wrong answers on each paper.

1. Set the question countType the total in Questions on the test. The cost of each wrong answer and the grading chart for that test appear right away.
2. Enter each paper’s missesPut the count under Wrong, with a name in Student (optional) if you like. Press + Add student for the next paper.
3. Record the gradeScore shows each paper’s percent and letter. Open Options to choose a grading scale, add half-point rows to the chart or round scores to whole numbers.

Press Show an example to load a 25-question quiz with Ava, Ben, Chloe and Diego. The examples on this page use that same quiz.

Understanding your result

The result changes with what you have entered: the question count alone, one paper, or several.

In the result	Example	What it means
Each wrong answer costs	4 points	Shown before you enter papers, with what 1 wrong and 3 wrong come to
Student’s score	80% B−	One paper: the percent and letter, with the number right
Class average	83% B	Several papers: the average of every row with a Wrong count
Highest · Lowest	96% · 64%	The range of scores in the class
Grading chart	26 rows	The score and letter for every possible number wrong

Blank Wrong fields are left out of the average; enter 0 for a paper with no mistakes. The average and range are a starting point for review. Look for questions many students missed, check the answer key and wording, and compare errors with what you taught. One low score alone does not tell you whether the problem was the test, a particular concept or an individual student’s needs.

EZ Grader: calculate test grades from wrong answers

You have a stack of quizzes and a count of wrong answers on each paper. Enter the number of questions and each student’s misses, and the EZ Grader calculates percentage scores, letter grades and the class average. Its grading chart gives every possible score for that test length, so you can grade the rest of the stack by looking up each paper’s number wrong.

Use this easy grader for equal-value questions: spelling quizzes, multiple-choice tests or any assessment where each item counts the same. Students can check a score before it posts, too. For questions worth different amounts, use points earned ÷ points possible. For weighted homework, tests and other categories, use the Grade Calculator.

EZ Grader grading scale: percentages to letter grades

Open Options → Grading scale. The plus/minus scale starts A at 93%, A− at 90%, B+ at 87% and B at 83%. The 10-point scale uses A at 90%, B at 80%, C at 70% and D at 60%, with no plus or minus grades. Changing the scale changes the letter, not the percentage.

Test score	Plus/minus scale	10-point scale
92%	A−	A
88%	B+	B
80%	B−	B
77%	C+	C
64%	D	D

The plus/minus letters are A+ 97–100, A 93–96, A− 90–92, B+ 87–89, B 83–86, B− 80–82, C+ 77–79, C 73–76, C− 70–72, D+ 67–69, D 63–66, D− 60–62 and F below 60.

Use the option that matches your school’s policy. If neither does, the percentage is still useful; apply your school’s letter cutoffs separately.

It also works as a grading scale calculator for a points-based test. Enter the total points as Questions on the test, then open Grading chart for N questions: each row shows the points earned, the percent and the letter grade, so you can read the lowest score for every letter.

How to calculate a test grade from questions missed

It divides the right answers by the total questions and multiplies by 100.

Test Grade Calculation

Ben misses 5 questions on the sample 25-question quiz:

StepResult

Ben scores 20 right out of 25 = 80%

Step					Result
Points each miss costs	100	÷	25	=	4
Questions answered right	25	−	5	=	20
Right answers 20 ÷ Questions 25 = Score 80%

Ben’s score is 80% B− on the plus/minus scale. On the 10-point scale, the same 80% is a B.

EZ Grader chart: test scores and printable grading tables

Read the chart across: find the number wrong, and the same row gives the number right, the percent and the letter. Grading chart for N questions sits beneath the result, with one row for every possible number wrong. Here are the first rows for a 25-question test:

Wrong	Right	Score	Letter
0	25	100%	A+
1	24	96%	A
2	23	92%	A−
3	22	88%	B+
4	21	84%	B
5	20	80%	B−
6	19	76%	C

How many questions can a student miss?

Use this quick grading table when you need the most whole questions a student can miss and still reach a letter threshold. Each question must have equal value.

Questions	A 93%+	B 83%+	C 73%+	D− 60%+
10	0	1	2	4
12	0	2	3	4
15	1	2	4	6
20	1	3	5	8
25	1	4	6	10
30	2	5	8	12
40	2	6	10	16
50	3	8	13	20
100	7	17	27	40

How to print or save your grading chart

Enter the question count and open Grading chart for N questions. To print, choose Options → My saves → Print / Save as PDF and check the print preview. Keep the chart beside your papers and use the Wrong column to find each score.

EZ Grader scores: partial credit, rounding and grade curves

Partial credit, rounding and school policy can change the final score or letter. Keep the raw test percentage separate from any adjustment your gradebook applies.

Partial credit and half-point answers

If Ben earns half credit on one of his five misses, enter 4.5 under Wrong: four completely wrong answers plus half an answer’s credit lost. His score becomes (25 − 4.5) ÷ 25 × 100 = 82% B−. In Options, tick Half points in the chart (0.5, 1, 1.5…) to include these rows.

Questions worth different points

A test with 2-point multiple-choice questions and a 10-point essay cannot be graded by the number wrong alone. Add up points earned instead. A student with 31 of 40 points scores 77.5%, a C+ on the plus/minus scale, regardless of how many questions were missed.

Rounding near a letter-grade cutoff

On a 15-question quiz, 2 wrong gives 86.666…%. The calculator displays 86.7% B without whole-number rounding. Turn on Round scores to whole numbers and it shows 87% B+. Displaying fewer decimal places and rounding for the letter grade are different choices. Follow your school’s rule for individual assessments; a report-card rounding rule may not apply to every quiz.

Grade curves and score floors

One possible curve adds the same number of percentage points to every score. If your policy allows a 4-point adjustment to bring Chloe’s 96% to 100%, Ben’s 80% becomes 84% B, Diego’s 64% becomes 68% D+, and the sample class average becomes 87% B+. The Grade Curve Calculator can help explore an adjustment. Check flawed questions and your grading policy before choosing a curve.

A gradebook may also apply a minimum score, or score floor. Keep the original percentage from this grader and apply that policy only where your school requires it. The calculator does not apply a floor.

Standards-based grading

A percentage is not a proficiency rating. Standards-based systems judge evidence against a rubric rather than converting a test percentage directly to a level. Kalamazoo Public Schools, for example, uses 3 for the grade-level target and explains that its competency-based grades cannot be directly compared with traditional grades. Use your district’s rubric for those scores.

Related calculators