We can use Excel’s LOOKUP function to quickly convert exam or test scores to letter grades like A+ or F. In this article, let me explain the process and necessary formulas. I will also share a technique to calculate letter grades from test scores using percentiles.
Step 1: Set up a Mapping Table for Letter Grade & Scores
In your workbook, set up a mapping (or lookup) table like this to map out each of the letter grades to the test score boundary.
- When setting up the mapping table, make sure to start from lower score to higher score (for ex: 0 to 100)
- For each grade, just specify the lower boundary value. So for example, Grade F begins from 0, Grade B- begins from 65
Step 2: Calculate the letter grades using LOOKUP function
For this you need all the test scores for your students. Let’s say you have the test scores in column C, from cell C4. In an adjacent column, you can calculate the letter grade using the below LOOKUP formula.
=LOOKUP(C4,$G$6:$G$16,$F$6:$F$16)In this formula:
- First value (C4) refers to the score for which you need the letter grade
- Second value ($G$6:$G16) is the “scores from” column of your mapping table set up in Step 1.
- Third value ($F$6:$F$16) is the “letter grade” column of your mapping table.
Once you have a result for the first test score, drag the formula down to see letter grades for all students.
How to get Letter Grades from Percentiles (relative grading)
Sometimes you may want to calculate the letter grade from the percentile of the test score. This sort of thing is also called relative grading (RG). To do this, we can use the PERCENTILERANK functions of Excel.
Here is a 3 Step process for that:
Step 1: Set up a percentile-wise mapping table for letter grades
In your worksheet, set up a mapping table for letter grades like this:
Step 2: Calculate the Percentiles for each test score
Let’s say you have test scores in column C, in the range C4:C43.
In column D, write the formula =PERCENTRANK.INC($C$4:$C$43,C4) to calculate the percentile of test score in first cell against all scores. The result of this would be a percentile from 0% to 100% (both inclusive).
When you get the result for first cell, drag the formula down to fill up the rest.
Tip: If you want to calculate the percentile by excluding 0th and 100th percentiles, use the PERCENTILE.EXC function instead.
Step 3: Convert Percentiles to Letter Grade
For this, we can use the LOOKUP function again. In column E use the below function:
=LOOKUP(D4,$H$6:$H$16,$G$6:$G$16)In the above formula:
- First value (D4) refers to the percentile we calculated in step 2.
- Second value ($H$6:$H16) is the “percentile from” column of your mapping table set up in Step 1.
- Third value ($G$6:$G$16) is the “letter grade” column of your mapping table.
Download Test Score to Letter Grade Calculation Template
I made a quick Excel template to calculate letter grades from your test / exam marks. Just plug-in your values and see the results instantly. Download the template here.
Bonus: These formulas work in Google Sheets too!
That is right. All these formulas will work exactly same with Google sheets too. Here is a Google Sheets template if you need some help.
Things to keep in mind when calculating letter grades
Do take these cautions when calculating alphabetic letter grades from your exam marks.
- Mapping table setup: your letter grade mapping table needs to be from lowest marks / scores to highest. Just specify the lower boundary for each letter grade.
- For example, if grade F is from exam score 0 to 35, then write 0.
- If grade B+ is from 80 to 85, then write 80
- Clean up your data: If your test score data has missing values (for example, absent or hyphens) then the LOOKUP formula will give #N/A error. So clean up your data before you apply the LOOKUP function.
Next steps:
Now that you have calculated the letter grades, you may want to see the distribution of your student grades or understand which students are failing and need help. Use below Excel concepts & resources to do that.
24 Responses
I’d suggest simply using the subtotal function and filtering the data using the Win/Loss column. You get the same results and the formula is more comprehensible.
@John
That is one option.
There are times however when you want to see the whole data table or a filtered subset and still want to produce summary reports against an unfiltered field.
Is there a particular reason why you are using a comma and the unary (–) operator for the second array in the SUMPRODUCT formula? It seems to work the same if you were to string the arrays together using the asterisk (*). The advantage is that SUMPRODUCT treats the entire string of arrays as a single array.
@Mathew
Your correct, There is no difference.
I thought it may have been easier to explain this method.
Is there a way to do this on a large set of data? As in ~100,000 rows? When I try I get an error because the formula becomes too long. It says the max length of a formula is 8,192 characters. Excel 2010.
How do I incorporate a specific text within a cell for the second array. For instance, – -(C7:C13=”Apple”)
when I chose a specific text the formula does not work.
@RB
I am not sure what is the issue as if I use the sample data in the post the following work fine
Count:
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET(C7:C13,ROW(C7:C13)-MIN(ROW(C7:C13)),,1)), –(C7:C13=”L”))
Sum:
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET(C7:C13,ROW(C7:C13)-MIN(ROW(C7:C13)),,1)),(C7:C13=”L”)*(D7:D13))
You may want to check that there are no leading or trailing spaces in your list of Apples
I should have given a better explanation. Heres my situation. I have a column with cells filled with names like Column 1, Column 2, Pier 1, Pier 2, etc. If the cell just contained Pier and searched for that it works. But because it has other characters in the cell its not recognizing the pier. So how can I extract specific characters of a string of text in this formula?
Hopefully this was a better explanation
Hello-
This formula works pretty well for me except that it slow down excel and prevents some of my macros from working. I was wondering if there was a way to program this in VBA so that excel isn’t always trying to recalculate it. I would like to use a push of a button to get it to run then paste in a cell.
Thanks!
I am trying to sum filtered data in a column, but would want to ignore the negative values in the column. How to go about doing this?
@Akshay
Why not just add a filter to that column to only show the values greater than zero?
The negative values are required for reporting purposes, but their effect on the total is distorting the required output. Please advise.
@Akshay
I’d suggest making a post in the Chandoo.org Forums
http://forum.chandoo.org/
Attach a sample file to simplify the task
I have this working for counting and summing, however, I have a list and for the second array, I need a criteria. That is, I’m looking for b13:b200=”01.??.??” or =left((a1,2) or something like that. These types of criteria matches do not appear to work as I get a blank as a result.
Thanks!
@Bob
As your formula b13:b200=”01.??.??” looks like you are trying to check the first day of the month of the range
What about trying Day(B13:B200)=1
Hai Experts,
i understood this formula well and working fine in MS Excel 2013
but when the same am trying to place in google Spreadsheet it shows error as
“SUMPRODUCT has mismatched range sizes. Expected row count: 1. column count: 1. Actual row count: 2014, column count: 1.” and as a result #VALUE! Appears in cell.
Can anyone please help me how would i get it done in Google Spread sheet
or is there any other formula as a substitute for this.
Thank you very much.
thanks for providing this.. but why does excel keeps on prompting Circular referencing in cell D3?
@Vivek
I don’t know
I just downloaded the file and it is working fine and not showing that error
Goto the Formulas, Calculation Options Tab and check that Calculation is set to Automatic
What version of Excel and Windows are you using ?
I know that this forum is for MS Excel, but I am trying to help someone who is working in Google Sheets. The below formula works in Excel but Google Sheets returns:
“SUMPRODUCT has mismatched range sizes. Expected row count: 1. column count: 1. Actual row count: 39000, column count: 1.” and as a result #VALUE! Appears in cell.
This is the same problem asked by Srichirin above. Does anyone know if there is a formula for Google Sheets that will replicate what MS Excel does?
=SUMPRODUCT(SUBTOTAL(3,OFFSET($C$6:$C$39500,ROW($C$6:$C$39500)-MIN(ROW($C$6:$C$39500)),,1)),- -($C$6:$C$39500=H1),($D$6:$D$39500))
Trying to find a SUMPRODUCT formula that counts the word Closed by date for the last 7 days in a filtered list.
=COUNTIF(M:M,”>”&TODAY()-7) works ok for unfiltered count Column M contains Closure dates (blank if open) and Column L is Status Open or Closed
@ Terry
Please ask the question at the Chandoo.org Forums
https://chandoo.org/forum/
Please attach a sample file to ensure a quicker more accurate answer
I used this formula and worked like a charm! But, now I’ve been requested to use it but adding not one but two criteria in the same formula. For instance the sum I was doing added negative and positive numbers. I’ve been asked to use the exact same formula but adding that only positive numbers were considered… any idea on how to do this?
How exactly do you do sum filtered cells when two criteria are need not just one?
Thank you so much brother literally I have been struggling since morning to get the sum of the filtered category, however, after reading your blog attentively i got my solution, so thanks a lot once again.