<p>How does grading work in college? How is your total semester grade distributed? How much are exams worth? What else determines your final grade, and by what percentages? Thanks.</p>
<p>It can vary from class to class. Wait until you actually get to college to worry.</p>
<p>It depends on the class, but usually it’s a point system with each assignment adding up to a certain total of points for the class. Sometimes teachers assign smaller assignments with less points or sometimes they assign a few big tests and that’s it for the whole class. It’ll say on the syllabus they give you, so you’ll know as soon as the class starts 
The college I go to uses the point system but then converts it to letter grades, so for example, 420/500 points= an A. I’ve never been graded on a curve either, thank god, but I’ve had a few friends tell me they have in a couple of their classes. Hope this helps :)</p>
<p>It depends on the class. Some have a points system like aprokcndy described, some do it by percentages. It really depends on the professor and the type of class that you’re taking. For most of my classes (history major), it’s a combination of tests, papers, and participation in class discussion.</p>
<p>I have one class this semester where there are 4 categories of stuff that you can get graded on (exams, written assignments, in-class presentation, and participation/attendance) and then you choose your grading plan - you have to do the exams and in-class presentation, but you don’t have to do the written assignments or include participation/attendance in your grade. One you pick which stuff you want to get graded on, you pick the percentages that each category will be worth.</p>
<p>So far in two semesters I’ve seen the following systems:</p>
<p>*Various assignments totaling 1000 points, plus another 200 or so in extra credit. 900+ = A.</p>
<p>*10 papers due throughout the semester.</p>
<p>*One gigantic paper due the last day of classes, with a modifier based on your participation in class.</p>
<p>*6 exams, each scored out of 100, averaged over the semester, plus an extra credit paper also scored out of 100 which could replace your lowest exam grade if you so wished.</p>
<p>*4 exams, scored out of 100, with the best score counted twice and the resulting 5 scores averaged.</p>
<p>*11 assignments, all pass/fail, with a mercy chance to retake one failed assignment at the end of the semester. Fail no more than one, you get an A. Fail two, you get a B, etc.</p>
<p>*Various assignments, each scored out of 100 and making up a given percentage of one of 5 categories, which are then themselves multiplied by various percentages and added to get your final grade. Good luck calculating where you stand.</p>
<p>*One giant list of problems, all of which must be completed at your leisure, with your grade being the percentage you finish by the end of the semester.</p>
<p>*A point target which varies based on your major and year (high for math seniors, low for non-math non-seniors). Points are earned by completing various problems/proofs/presentations/etc, with each task only being available to the first student to claim it.</p>
<p>*One mathematical formula, which if you do not understand you do not have the necessary math prerequisite for the class and should drop it.</p>
<p>So in other words, grading in college can be absolutely any system imaginable.</p>
<p>Science and math classes are often graded on a curve, which assigns grades based on the overall performance of the class.</p>
<p>as these responses prove, it’s different in pretty much every class</p>