The assumptions behind every planner result.

Scope

The homepage planner estimates weighted and unweighted high school GPA using a traditional 4.0 base table and one example rigor-bonus model. It is intended for what-if planning, not for reproducing every US school policy.

Separate tutorial pages may demonstrate other formulas, such as course-category weights, final-exam targets, AMCAS conversion, or LSAC conversion. Those examples do not change the homepage planner unless the interface explicitly says so.

Base grade-point table

The current planner does not offer D- as an input. A school using 3.67 instead of 3.7 or another plus/minus table can produce a different result.

Course-level weighting

Weighted grade points are capped at 5.0 per course. The same bonus is applied to the selected grade in the current prototype, including an F. This is a transparent software rule, not a claim that a school awards rigor points to every failing grade. Visitors must compare the model with the school handbook.

Credit-weighted formulas

Course credits determine influence. A one-credit course contributes twice as much as a 0.5-credit course. The planner accepts credit values from 0.5 through 10, in steps of 0.5 in the interface.

Input validation

A credit is valid when it is numeric, greater than zero, and no more than 10. The interface asks for values between 0.5 and 10. A row with an invalid credit value is excluded from the calculation and the result panel reports how many rows were excluded.

Course names are labels only. They do not affect the result and should not contain student IDs or sensitive records.

Precision and rounding

The planner calculates with JavaScript numeric precision and keeps the unrounded quotient until display. GPA and quality-point results are displayed with two decimal places using US number formatting. Credits are displayed with up to one decimal place.

This display rounds to the nearest shown value. Some institutions truncate, retain three decimals, or round individual course products. A transcript can therefore differ by 0.01 even when the same visible inputs are used.

Published validation cases

The default-plan result can be reproduced as weighted quality points of 3.7 + 4.3 + 4.5 + 3.0 = 15.5, then 15.5 ÷ 4 = 3.875, displayed as 3.88.

Scenario storage

Plan A, an optional Plan B, the active plan, course labels, grades, levels, and credits are serialized to browser localStorage. The current storage key is gradehorizon-prototype-v1. The site does not require an account or server-side save.

The Reset planner action replaces both plans with the published four-course sample. Removing the only remaining course replaces it with a blank course row so the interface remains usable.

Source hierarchy

1. The visitor's current school handbook, transcript key, syllabus, or registrar policy.
2. The current official organization guide for specialized calculations such as AAMC, LSAC, NCAA, or College Board.
3. GradeHorizon worked examples and explanatory articles.
4. General conventions only when no controlling policy is available.

GradeHorizon links to the controlling source near specialized claims. A source is not copied as a substitute for original explanation.

Update and correction process

Calculator logic is reviewed when the interface, grade table, validation rule, or rounding behavior changes. Policy articles are reviewed when an official source announces a relevant change or a reader reports a conflict.

To request a correction, send the page URL, inputs, displayed result, expected result, and supporting official source to [email protected]. Arithmetic corrections are reproduced before publication. Policy corrections are checked against the organization that controls the rule.