GPA is the first gateway for your college or university enrollment. It has been found in various discussions that GPA is considered the first factor for admission officers to shortlist students. After that, they continue with other filters, including college essays and extracurricular activities.
James Mark asks this query in the comments section of the blog. Thanks, James, for asking this query. It’s interesting, and many other students who are preparing for college might think about What is the highest GPA and the secrets to achieving it,
While I have tried my best to answer your query, considering all other factors which help you understand the role of GPA,
So here we begin…
Meaning of GPA and its types
GPA stand for Grade Point Average. It articulates the overall performance of the classes into one value, which helps one to understand one’s academic performance. Calculating GPA is not challenging; I have given the below image in which each class correspondence to their grade specifies the value,
Example: How do you calculate GPA in high school
Maths (Grade B) – 3
German Language (Grade A) – 4
Physics (Grade C ) -2
Computer Science (Grade B) – 3
Calculate all classes points = 3+4+2+3=12
Total classes taken = 4
GPA = All Classes points / total classes taken, ( 12 / 4 )
Here is your outcome: GPA is 3
Here comes the twist: while GPA is divided into types, Weighted GPA and Unweighted GPA, I will help you understand the difference between them and for calculations, you check this article: “Which GPA do colleges look at? “
Unweighted GPA
Unweighted GPA standardized all classes on one scale. It doesn’t consider the difficulty part of the class. Whether you take AP or regular classes, it takes a scale of 0 to 4. In the below image, you can see the unweighted GPA value for each grade (letter grade to 4.0 scale)
Weighted GPA
A weighted GPA signifies the challenges of taking AP Classes and honour classes. Most US high schools mention weighted GPA in their transcript. The weighted GPA scale ranges between 0 to 5. For calculating weighted GPA, you can see the grades of subjects and their correspondence value.
A weighted GPA signifies the challenges of taking AP Classes and honour classes. Most US high schools mention weighted GPA in their transcript. The weighted GPA scale ranges between 0 to 5. For calculating weighted GPA, you can see the grades of subjects and their correspondence value.
The formula will be the same for calculating unweighted GPA and weighted GPA. Only the value for the grades will be varied.
GPA = All Classes points / total classes taken
What is the highest GPA
The highest GPA you consider is 4.0. Yes, it’s considered the best GPA score as per universities if they prefer an unweighted GPA. Otherwise, it can go to 5.0 for a weighted GPA.
Special Advice
It’s been advised for the students if they find that their high school authorities go with a weighted GPA. You can take it as an advantage to level up your GPA score by taking AP classes and Honor classes, and it’s better to choose the AP classes related to your future intake major, as many colleges award credit on behalf of your intake AP classes.
But at last, if you are lacking in your studies, if your GPA is between 2 and 3, it’s my recommendation not to go with AP classes even if your high school goes with a weighted GPA. As per my advice, you should start opting for the classes which are easier for you and take 1 or 2 challenging classes, which will be helpful for your majors, as it helps to create balance.
If we look into the average GPA for high school, it’s been found to be 3.35 around the nation.
10 Best tips to achieve the highest GPA
These tips I have given from my experience and make discussions with the students who have achieved the best GPA in their high school and are now enrolled in some of the best universities in the US –
1. Getting good grades always starts from classes. You must start attending the classes and try to sit where you don’t face distractions, which helps you understand the concepts and prepare better notes.
Regarding notes, only write the things the teacher emphasizes. Preparing better notes will do halfway to preparation for assessments.
2. You must have a friend in a class; you can get notes and an overview if you miss the class.
3. Having a good relationship with your teachers benefits a lot, not only in doubt-solving but also lenient if some problems occur. Most importantly, you need a reference letter for scholarships, internships or college admission. You can grab better reference letters with a good relationship with the teacher.
4. Stay organized; don’t leave stuff for the last moment. Prefer maintaining the notes app or physical journal, as it helps you keep updated with the timelines for the stuff you have to do and when to do it,
5. You must have a study routine, as after school and at the weekend, prepare a schedule that efficiently helps you study. Keep tracking the time you are spending on the task.
I always pick up the Pomodoro method for studying. In this, you spend 25 minutes study time and 5 minutes break.
Keep away all distractions from you by pushing off the phone’s notifications, and try to sit on the chair and disk while studying.
6. For remembering stuff, annotate and summarise the notes your teacher gives in your own words rather than copying PowerPoint or the textbook; it helps a lot.
7. Access to the online resources: I have mentioned some of them which one of the students prefers while studying –
8. Always manipulate your learning. Try to quiz yourself – it helps you understand which topic you lack.
9. Prepare yourself as a good test taker, as there are various test finals, midterms, unit tests and class quizzes in high school. If you are one of the students who have anxiety about exams, it’s better to stimulate the testing environment at home before big tests or quizzes,
You can prepare for a test environment at home, but you need to prefer some caution. It’s better to switch off the phone, not talk, make a timer setting, take questions online, and dedicate 3 hours to writing the exam, as you do in school.
10. At last, you should stay motivated. All the things I mentioned can’t be done in a day, and it’s a process you need to focus on and pick up the tips one by one.
As per me, I have done my best to help you with the highest GPA and tips to achieve. If you have any additional points I missed, please share them in the below comment. We love the readers who are engaging…
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes its a good GPA, you will get lot of options for applying to college and mention GPA 3.5 & above, mention in resume as well. (attaching with college application)
Yes GPA is necessary prerequisites for taking admission in college or university, GPA showcase the academic strength of the student and interest towards the classes.
About the author ....
Hi, I’m Erie Wilson “Think Tank” of this blog. Sharing knowledge related to career decisions since 2020, If you have any doubts related to choosing majors or searching for colleges, you are free to ask in the comments or send me an email.