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Teacher's Guide to Test Grading

Set up tests, generate grade charts, and apply curves — a practical workflow for classroom grading

Setting Up a Test

Start by entering the total number of questions or points in your test. Then choose a grading scale — the calculator includes 11 built-in scales plus a custom editor. For grading papers, use the "# Wrong" input mode: enter how many questions the student got wrong and the calculator shows the grade instantly. For checking a student's score, use "Score / Total" mode: enter the points earned directly. Both modes produce the same result — choose whichever matches your workflow.

Teacher entering total questions and selecting a grading scale
Quick Grader setup: total questions, grading scale, and input mode selection
Use keyboard shortcuts when grading a stack of papers: press W to increase the wrong count, +/- to adjust, and C to clear for the next student. This is much faster than clicking.

Using the Grade Chart

Click "Show Grade Chart" to generate a complete lookup table for your test. The chart lists every possible score with its corresponding percentage and grade, ready to print or save. This eliminates manual calculation during grading — just look up the number of wrong answers and read off the grade. The chart adapts to whichever grading scale you have selected, so switching from US Letter to Italian School instantly regenerates the table.

Print-ready grade chart showing all possible scores for a test
A complete grade lookup table — print it and grade papers without any calculation

Adjusting Grades with Curves

When a test turns out harder than expected, the Curve mode lets you adjust all scores mathematically. Choose from four methods: • Linear: Add a fixed number of points to every score (e.g., +5 to all) • Percentage: Increase every score by a percentage (e.g., +10%) • Square root: Apply √(score × 100) — boosts low scores more than high ones • Highest-as-100: Scale so the top scorer gets 100% and everyone else adjusts proportionally Enter your class's raw scores and see the curved results side by side. The method you choose depends on how the scores are distributed — square root is gentlest on top performers while linear is the most straightforward.

The square root curve is the most popular choice because it helps struggling students the most while barely changing top scores. A student with 49% jumps to 70%, while a student with 81% only goes to 90%.

Ready to Calculate?

Try the grade calculator now — enter your scores and see your grades instantly.

Open Grade Calculator
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