What next?
A percentage on one paper feeds the bigger totals.
What your result means
Your score is correct answers as a share of the total. The margin remaining row is the useful one: it tells you how much slack you had, or exactly how many questions stood between you and the grade you wanted.
Why this one is different
The unit is questions, not percentages: a count of correct answers, a row for how many more your target needs, and a margin row for how many you can still afford to lose. That last figure is what people actually want mid-revision, and it cannot be read off a percentage on its own.
On a short test, every question is expensive
On a fifty-question paper each answer is worth two percent. On a twenty-question paper it is five percent — so two careless mistakes cost a whole grade boundary. Short tests reward accuracy far more than long ones reward knowledge.
That is worth remembering when deciding whether to guess. On a short paper the downside of a blank answer is much larger than it feels in the moment.
How it works
Subtract the number wrong from the total to get the number correct, then divide by the total. The target row works backwards from your desired percentage to the number of correct answers it requires, rounding up because you cannot answer a fraction of a question.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the total number of questions.
- Enter how many you got wrong.
- Set the grade you were aiming for.
- Read your percentage and how many questions separated you from the target.
Formula
Questions needed for a target = ⌈total × target ÷ 100⌉, rounded up to the next whole question.
Example calculation
A 50-question test with 7 wrong:
43 ÷ 50 = 86%
Letter grade = B
For 80% you needed 40 correct — 3 to spare
Raw score, percentage and grade are three different things
A raw score is marks earned. A percentage puts it over the total available, which is what makes two differently-sized papers comparable. A grade maps that percentage onto a boundary set by the exam board or institution, and those boundaries are not fixed: many awarding bodies adjust them each year so that a given grade represents the same standard despite variation in paper difficulty. That is why a percentage from one year cannot be read straight onto another year's grade table.
Negative marking and partial credit
Not every paper scores the same way. Some multiple-choice tests deduct a fraction of a mark for a wrong answer to discourage guessing, which changes the optimal strategy: with a quarter-mark penalty on five options, guessing is break-even, and eliminating one option makes it worth doing. Others award partial credit for method, so an answer that is numerically wrong can still earn most of the marks. Enter the marks the mark scheme actually awards rather than a count of correct answers, or the percentage will not match the one on the paper.
Frequently asked questions
Does this handle partial credit?＋
Not directly. If some questions are worth more than others, or partial marks are awarded, use the grade calculator with total points earned and total points available instead.
What about negative marking?＋
This does not model penalties for wrong answers. On a paper with negative marking, calculate your net mark first and enter it through the grade calculator.
Why is my letter grade different from my teacher’s?＋
Grade boundaries vary between institutions and are sometimes adjusted after moderation. The percentage is the reliable figure; the letter is a common convention.
How do I convert a raw score to a percentage?＋
Divide the marks earned by the marks available and multiply by 100. Twenty-eight out of thirty-five is 80 percent.
What is a curved or scaled score?＋
Some exams adjust raw scores so results are comparable across sittings of different difficulty. A scaled score cannot be derived from a raw score without the exam board's conversion table.
How do I work out the marks needed to pass?＋
Multiply the pass percentage by the marks available and round up. A 60 percent pass on a 45-mark paper needs 27 marks.
Does the number of questions change the maths?＋
No, but it changes how much one question is worth. On a 20-question paper each question is 5 percent, so a single careless error costs a grade boundary more often than on a long paper.
Related calculators
Assumptions & limitations
Every figure here comes from a simplified model. Keep these limits in mind when reading your result:
- Assumes every question carries equal weight and is marked right or wrong.
- No partial credit or negative marking is applied.
- Letter-grade boundaries follow common conventions and may differ from your institution’s.