Make sense of your Canvas grades.
armin includes a grade calculator in the course workspace. Before relying on any estimate, check how your course weights assignments and treats ungraded work. This guide explains the maths and lets you explore fictional grade details.
Try the interactive preview ↓Check the calculation before trusting the number
- Read the grading weights in your syllabus. Confirm whether your course uses weighted categories or a points total.
- On the Canvas Grades page, check whether the displayed result includes only graded assignments. Where available, What-If scores let you explore hypothetical results.
- Open a course in the sample Grades view below. Compare the fictional details with the worked example in this guide; neither is an official school grade.
Official reference: Canvas: approximating scores with What-If Grades.
A weighted-grade example
Imagine a course with assignments worth 40% and a final exam worth 60%. An assignment average of 80% and an exam score of 90% gives (80 × 0.40) + (90 × 0.60) = 86%. Averaging 80 and 90 equally would give 85%, which ignores the course weights.
What score would you need on the final?
Using the same fictional course, an 85% target requires (85 − 80 × 0.40) ÷ 0.60 = 88.33% on the final. This assumes those are the only two categories, with no dropped scores, extra credit, or special rounding rules. A result above 100% means that target is not reachable under those assumptions.
An ungraded assignment is not automatically a zero
A current grade based on completed work can differ from a total that includes ungraded work. Check which calculation you are looking at before planning. Dropped assignments, grading periods, and instructor rules can also make a simple estimate differ from the official result.
Use estimates to plan, not as official results
The armin preview below uses fictional courses. Open a course grade detail to explore the display, then check your actual syllabus and Canvas Grades page for real calculations. Nothing in this website changes a school record.
Explore sample course grades
A little less grade guesswork.
Grades
Your courses · Fictional marks
| Course | Grade | Marked so far | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life and living systemsBIO101 | 84% | 40% | |
| Mathematics in everyday lifeMATH120 | 78% | 30% | |
| Stories and societyHUM110 | 91% | 50% |
Illustrative marks, not official university grades.
Does a What-If score change my actual grade?
No. Canvas What-If scores simulate outcomes. They do not replace an instructor’s recorded score. Use the actual score view to return to recorded results.
Is a course percentage the same as GPA?
No. GPA depends on your institution’s conversion rules and often course credit weights. Do not treat a percentage estimate as an official GPA.