How does the weighted GPA scale work?

Just got my report card, and I'm kind of confused about the whole weighted GPA thing. Can anyone explain to me how the weighted GPA scale works, and how it's different from an unweighted GPA scale?

The weighted GPA scale takes into account the difficulty of the courses you've taken in addition to your performance in those courses. It's designed to reward students for challenging themselves by selecting advanced, honors, or AP (Advanced Placement) classes. Colleges often consider both weighted and unweighted GPAs when evaluating applicants, but the way they interpret them may vary.

An unweighted GPA scale typically ranges from 0.0 to 4.0, where an "A" is worth 4.0 points, "B" is worth 3.0 points, and so on. In this system, every course is treated equally, regardless of its difficulty level.

On the other hand, a weighted GPA scale assigns additional weight for more challenging courses, such as honors, AP, or IB (International Baccalaureate) classes. There's no universal weighted scale, but common ranges go from 0.0 to 5.0 or 0.0 to 6.0. For instance, in a 0.0 to 5.0 scale, you might be awarded 5.0 points for an "A" in an honors or AP course, compared to 4.0 points for an "A" in a standard course. Some schools have their own specific weighted GPA scales, so it's essential to understand how your school calculates it.

Here's an example to illustrate the difference between the two GPA types. Suppose you took four standard classes and got As in all of them and also took one AP class and scored a B. Your unweighted GPA would be 3.8 (assuming a 4.0 scale), as unweighted GPAs don't consider the rigor of your courses. However, for your weighted GPA, suppose your school uses a 5.0 scale, with an extra point for AP courses. Then, your weighted GPA would be calculated as follows: (4.0 x 4 + 4.0) / 5 = 4.0. In this case, your weighted GPA is higher because it takes into consideration the more challenging AP class.

Remember that colleges have access to your transcripts and will review your course selection rigor. Even if they recalculate GPAs using their own metrics, they'll still be able to see which challenging courses you've taken and how well you've performed in them.