I'm filling out an application and they want to know my average in percent but it's an 8.6 ... how would i go about converting that?

You can't, with any degree of accuracy.
At best, you can do a range - assume you got the highest percentage possible for that grade in each course and take the average, and then assume the lowest percentage possible, and you get a range.

If they absolutely require a number, you can look at the scale and say 8.6 is approximately between 8 and 9, and 8 is 73-76 while 9 is 77-79, so call it ~76 or something, but that's totally not accurate. Especially since they consider 9.5 to be an 80% average.

You're better off converting to the 4-point system if they'll allow it, since it's much more known/understood.

And how would i convert to the 4 point system?

Convert each individual grade and then average that. The conversions are available on the McMaster website.

thank you!!

Originally Posted by macbaby07

I'm filling out an application and they want to know my average in percent but it's an 8.6 ... how would i go about converting that?

This is how I interpret McMasters 12 pt scale

8 = 73-76
9 = 77-79

So 8.6 falls between 76-77%, and since .6 is 6/10th that means a 8.6 GPA is roughly 76.6%

EDIT: that's assuming 8.6 is your sessional average or your cumulative GPA

Originally Posted by shes-a-diva*

This is how I interpret McMasters 12 pt scale

8 = 73-76
9 = 77-79

So 8.6 falls between 76-77%, and since .6 is 6/10th that means a 8.6 GPA is roughly 76.6%

EDIT: that's assuming 8.6 is your sessional average or your cumulative GPA

What about a 9.5 being considered 80%?

You can convert it the way you did, but that's a significant approximation and not really accurate to any degree.
That is the biggest reason I don't like the 12-point system. I like accuracy.

Originally Posted by starfish

What about a 9.5 being considered 80%?

You can convert it the way you did, but that's a significant approximation and not really accurate to any degree.
That is the biggest reason I don't like the 12-point system. I like accuracy.

Oh forgive me, as far as I understood a 10 was an 80

http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /calen...-14/pg145.html

A 9.5 could be rounded to 80 because it would be 79.5%

Originally Posted by shes-a-diva*

Oh forgive me, as far as I understood a 10 was an 80

http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /calen...-14/pg145.html

A 9.5 could be rounded to 80 because it would be 79.5%

For the purposes of awards and average calculating, McMaster considers a 9.5 average to be equivalent to an 80.

I have no idea how you came up with 9.5 = 79.5%. If you were averaging, you'd say a 9 runs from 77-79.9, so then taking the midpoint of that is 78.45%...but it's still not accurate, you can't convert properly that way. Two people can have the same CA on the 12-point scale, but they probably don't have the same average on the percentage scale if you actually knew all of the individual marks to calculate it properly.

I always just assumed that calling 9.5 an 80 was reflecting the fact that the 12-point system lowers your average compared to the 12-point system because higher grade points encompass a wider range of percentages than lower grade points.

Originally Posted by starfish

For the purposes of awards and average calculating, McMaster considers a 9.5 average to be equivalent to an 80.

I have no idea how you came up with 9.5 = 79.5%. If you were averaging, you'd say a 9 runs from 77-79.9, so then taking the midpoint of that is 78.45%...but it's still not accurate, you can't convert properly that way. Two people can have the same CA on the 12-point scale, but they probably don't have the same average on the percentage scale if you actually knew all of the individual marks to calculate it properly.

I always just assumed that calling 9.5 an 80 was reflecting the fact that the 12-point system lowers your average compared to the 12-point system because higher grade points encompass a wider range of percentages than lower grade points.

What I was referring to is the fact that EACH percentage point between a grade has a range
Ie. 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, 10-11, 11-12

And by using 6-7 and 9-10 as example:

6-7 = 69-70% which would include values 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.9, 7.0

Each of those GPAs would be: 69.1%, 69.2%, 69.3%, 69.4%, 69.5%, 69.6%, 69.7%, 69.8%, 69.9% and 70%

So as you can see if you realize that McMasters GPA scale uses 1 decimal place and there can be 9 different point values to account for before rounding.

9.5 is technically 79.5%, and can only really be an 80% average if you round the point 5

The registrar uses your actual mark values to calculate your GPA so the 12pt scale is valid and accurate some people just don't know how the decimal part works

Edit: to make things clearer 9.5 = 79.5% because 9 comes before 9.5 and after 10
79 - 79.5 - 80