Gpa Calculators. How To Choose The Right One For You

We've all been there. You or your son or daughter is nearing the end of the semester and you want to run some figures to estimate your GPA. While calculating your GPA on your own isn't rocket science, it is a tedious task especially if you took 5 or more classes or want to run several scenarios. Fortunately a quick search of the internet reveals many options to choose from, although as you start to use them you quickly realize they are not all created equal. There are several major features you should consider before inputting all your course data or bookmarking the first GPA calculator you find in the search results.

1. Accuracy. This may sound like an obvious statement, but there are no certification services available for GPA calculator websites, so you need to do a little legwork. The best way to do this is to use several GPA calculators with a predefined set of grades that you know the answer to and enter them on those sites you are considering. Compare the results for accuracy. If a site does not give accurate results, cross them off your list.

Now that you are comfortable with the results, it's time to focus on the actual features and how easy the site is to use. All GPA calculators perform some level of calculations, but do they meet your needs?

2. Save, save, save! Probably the most important feature, besides getting accurate results is the ability to save your input. Having a tool that you can come back to, next week or next semester and not have to re-input all your courses and grades is critical in our opinion. Taking this feature a step further is allowing users to create an account so your GPA calculator inputs are saved and follow you wherever you go (home, school, mobile phone) and don't expire like cookies.

3. Weighted GPA calculations are crucial. Most colleges offer classes with different credit weights. These are used to define the significance and time required for each class. Does the GPA calculator you are considering allow for the entry of credits? If not, you cannot accurately determine your GPA.

4. Does your school include +/- in their grading system? Does the GPA calculator you are considering include them? Whether your school uses +/- it is always good to use a GPA calculator that allows the use of them. It allows for and shows the flexibility of the GPA calculator you are considering.

5. Don't accept limits. Does the GPA calculator you are considering limit the number of course/grades you can enter or does it dump 50 on you with the calculation results out of site? Does the GPA calculator auto calculate as you type or do you have to locate and repeatedly click a 'calculate' button after each input? Consider choosing a GPA calculator that grows with you, allowing you to add new records when needed. Also, does the GPA calculator you are considering allow you to organize and delete entries? This is very nice and advanced feature you won't find many places.

6. Cumulative calculations. The final feature to consider is whether the GPA calculator you are considering allows you to calculator your cumulative GPA. If you have several semesters under your belt, you probably don't want to enter all your course information from several years of work. A GPA calculator that lets you enter your cumulative credits and GPA and calculates your overall credits and GPA allows you to see the impact a grade or the current semester has on your overall GPA. Invaluable if you need to check if you will meet your personal goals or requirements for scholarship awards.

Finding a GPA calculator to do everything you want with all the options available can be time consuming. However, the payoff will be worth it because you will have a single tool you can come back to, again and again, that saves you a lot of time and makes your life easier and we can all appreciate that.