Case 1
- What was your raw score?
- 68
- Out of how many points?
- 100
- Which curve?
- Square root — 10 × √ of the percentage
- Points to add (flat bump)
- 5%
- Highest score in the class (scale to top)
- 92
- Multiplier (scale factor)
- 1.1
82.46%
Open with these valuesGrade Curve Calculator
82.46%
Result: 82.46 %Teachers mean four different things by curving, and they are not interchangeable. A raw 68 of 100 becomes 73 % with a five-point bump, 82.46 % under the square-root curve, 73.91 % scaled to a 92 % top score and 74.80 % with a 1.1 multiplier. Every method is capped at 100 %.
Worked examples
Case 2
- What was your raw score?
- 68
- Out of how many points?
- 100
- Which curve?
- Flat bump — the same points for everyone
- Points to add (flat bump)
- 5%
- Highest score in the class (scale to top)
- 92
- Multiplier (scale factor)
- 1.1
73.00%
Open with these valuesCase 3
- What was your raw score?
- 30
- Out of how many points?
- 100
- Which curve?
- Square root — 10 × √ of the percentage
- Points to add (flat bump)
- 5%
- Highest score in the class (scale to top)
- 92
- Multiplier (scale factor)
- 1.1
54.77%
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
curved = curve(raw ÷ maximum × 100), capped to 0–100
- StepEnter your raw score and the maximum available.
- StepPick the curve your instructor uses — they are not interchangeable.
- ResultFill in the one parameter that curve needs, then read the percentage.
Reference table
| Method | Applied to the percentage | 68 of 100 becomes |
|---|---|---|
| Flat bump of 5 | raw + 5 | 73.00 % |
| Square root | 10 × √raw | 82.46 % |
| Scale to a top score of 92 | raw × 100 ÷ 92 | 73.91 % |
| Multiplier of 1.1 | raw × 1.1 | 74.80 % |
Questions
What does it mean to curve a grade?
Adjusting raw marks after an assessment, usually because it turned out harder than intended. There is no single procedure, which is why the same raw 68 % lands anywhere between 73 % and 82.46 % here.
How does the square-root curve work?
The curved percentage is ten times the square root of the raw percentage. Because the root grows more slowly than its input, it helps weak scores most: 30 % becomes 54.77 %, while 88 % becomes only 93.8 %.
What does scaling to the top score do?
It divides every score by the best one in the class, so the top paper becomes 100 %. With a 92 % top score a raw 68 % becomes 73.91 %; if somebody scored full marks, the curve changes nothing.
Is this the same as grading on a bell curve?
No. A bell curve fixes the share of each letter grade and assigns them by rank, which is a property of the whole class. The four methods here transform each score on its own.
Why is my result capped at 100 %?
Because almost no institution awards more than full marks. Three of the four methods can exceed 100 on paper — 95 % with a 1.2 multiplier would be 114 % — and the calculator caps them as a gradebook would.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.