This can help incentivize students to take more difficult classes and challenge themselves since it won't harm their GPAs unless they end up earning significantly poorer grades. Figure skaters are judged partially on the difficulty of their routines, so a skater who executes an easy routine flawlessly won't prevail over another skater who executes a difficult routine with a couple of mistakes.
It's the same with weighted GPA. How far away are you from a 4. Use our easy GPA tool to pinpoint how well you have to do in future classes to get your GPA up to that magical number. It's important to be aware of the GPA scale used by your high school so that you can make responsible choices in the college application process.
If you're aiming for selective colleges, you need to understand that your chances might be different depending on whether your GPA is weighted or unweighted.
A student with a 3. Much of the advice you'll see about GPA is based on an unweighted scale because the unweighted scale is a more universally understood metric. This means that if your school uses weighted GPAs you'll have to make judgments about how you might compare to other applicants based on your coursework and not just the numbers.
For example, if the average unweighted GPA for admitted students at a college is a 3. The two numbers are on completely different scales. You'll have to take stock of the overall rigor of your coursework and selectivity of the school to see whether you compare favorably to other applicants. It's smart to be aware of the different GPA scales so that you have a better understanding of how much you might need to raise your GPA in order to get into a school that you really like.
High school GPAs are measured on one of two scales: weighted or unweighted. The unweighted scale is most common, and the highest possible GPA on this scale is a 4.
The unweighted scale doesn't take the difficulty of your classes into account. Weighted scales are also used at many high schools.
Typically, they go up to a 5. A weighted scale will factor in the difficulty of your classes, so an A in an honors class translates to a full grade point higher than an A in a low-level class. It's valuable to have some knowledge of how GPA is measured by your school so that you end up with a more informed perspective going into the college application process.
Your GPA will play a significant role in college admissions decisions, so keep working hard to maintain and improve it! If you're curious about your GPA, read our article that gives you step by step instructions on how to calculate it based on your grades so far in high school.
Is your GPA above average? Below average? Find out more about average high school GPAs here. If you have a low GPA, you might be worried about applying to college. Learn more about how to navigate the college application process with a low GPA.
We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:. A cutoff score is the absolute lowest GPA a grad school will accept when taking your application into consideration. For instance, some programs will require a 3. With that being said, requiring a minimum GPA is still a common practice in some cases. Most often this happens in highly competitive industries such as engineering, finance, or accounting.
In these instances, companies use your GPA to gauge your general competency of information you should have learned in college. Another reason a GPA requirement might be used is when a company regularly hires a lot of recent graduates. In the instance you do find yourself considering a job that requires a minimum GPA, what should you do? The first step is, of course, to find out the exact minimum required along with any other requirements and measure these up against your own current standing and qualifications.
Remember your GPA is only one factor that companies will consider when evaluating your potential. Look through your full transcript and try to discover why your GPA has landed where it has. Did you take on too many challenging courses at one point hurting your GPA? Were you juggling too many responsibilities at once—such as a job and internship on top of classes? Maybe you had a little too much fun your freshman year.
In these instances, look for places in your transcript where your GPA improved. For instance, if you did hold multiple internships or jobs while going to school be sure to heavily emphasize that point. Being able to juggle multiple responsibilities while still earning a degree exhibits some impressive skills that potential employers are looking for. Instead, your focus should be on staying diligent and continuing to work hard to maintain your grades:.
Improving your GPA is possible for students who are willing to put in extra focus and work into their studies. Here are a few strategies that can help raise your GPA. The first step towards earning higher grades is to make sure you have a clear understanding of where you stand now. Start by calculating your current GPA. The best way to do this is to create a study strategy for yourself.
This can be done during any part of the year. Use this chart to determine what your grade is on a 4. Add a full point to any IB or AP course, and a half point to any honors course. For example, an A in an AP course, normally a 4. An A in an honors course, normally a 4.
First, multiply each weighted or unweighted grade by the number of credits associated with the course. Add these values together. In this case, all courses are worth 1 credit except for the Financial Literacy class, which is worth. Second, divide the total by the number of total credits you earned. Your weighted 4. Remember that many colleges will recalculate them according to their own measures. If your high school ranks , this provides another measure for colleges to understand your academic performance.
Your GPA informs you about how you performed against other admissions candidates since this metric is universally used. GPA meaning varies significantly among secondary schools.
In other words, a 3. You should also avoid using your GPA to inform a definitive conclusion about whether or not you will be admitted into a college.
Selective colleges perform a holistic review of your candidacy, meaning your GPA is just one part of your profile. Colleges will also take into account factors such as your extracurriculars, essay, recommendations, and other aspects of your application.
However, most top colleges select applicants whose unweighted GPAs range from 3. The national average GPA is slightly lower than the one sought by top colleges. The average American high schooler had an unweighted GPA of 3.
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