Calculating Your College GPA Step-by-Step

The Organic Chemistry Tutor

This instructional video provides a clear, step-by-step tutorial on how to calculate a college Grade Point Average (GPA). Using a digital whiteboard format, the narrator demonstrates the mathematical process of converting letter grades into numerical values and weighting them according to course credit hours. The video guides viewers through two complete examples: one demonstrating the basic calculation with mixed grades, and a second practice problem that allows viewers to test their understanding before seeing the solution. The content focuses on the concepts of weighted averages and the standard 4.0 grading scale used by most educational institutions. Key topics include assigning point values to specific letter grades (A=4, B=3, etc.), determining quality points by multiplying grade points by credit hours, and performing the final division to find the GPA. The video also touches on logical estimation, teaching students how to perform a "sanity check" on their results by understanding the range between a 3.0 and 4.0 average. For educators, this video serves as an excellent practical application of weighted averages and arithmetic. It is particularly useful for high school and college introductory courses such as "Freshman Experience," study skills workshops, or math classes looking for real-world data analysis problems. It empowers students to track their own academic progress, set grade goals, and understand the mathematical impact of credit hours on their overall academic standing.