Estimating your present grade.

If you'd like to get a rough idea of your present grade, try the following.

• On a sheet of paper, draw a line and divide it into segments representing A, B, C, D, E.
• For each of your exams, mark an X on the line representing the grade on the exam relative to the grade ranges given in the solutions. For example if the B range were 60 to 80 and you received a 70, mark the X in the middle of the B range.
• Also mark an X on the line for your average homework grade and another for your average lab grade, using the the grade ranges for the exams. The grade ranges for the two exams are fairly similar, so you can use either one, or you can average the two.
• Label each X with the percentage it counts toward the final grade. (See the course information handout for the percentages.)
• Now you can visually estimate the weighted average of these four X's, or you can assign a numerical scale to your line (e.g. 0 to 5) and compute and plot a weighted average. The location of the average gives you a rough estimate of your present grade.

Note: This method gives just an approximate grade, mainly due to the facts that the grade ranges for the homework and labs have not yet been decided and that it ignores the quiz grades.