GPA Electives 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student transfers from a school that awarded an A in Drama (weighted 5.0) to a school that doesn't offer weighted grades. How might the receiving school handle the transferred A?
- They always honor the 5.0 weighting from the sending school
- They typically convert it to a standard 4.0 A on their scale (Correct answer)
- They exclude all transfer elective grades from the GPA
- They automatically award extra credit to compensate
Correct answer: They typically convert it to a standard 4.0 A on their scale
Most receiving schools recalculate transferred grades on their own scale, so a weighted A usually becomes a standard 4.0 A.
Question 2: A student's cumulative GPA is 3.8. They take a 3-credit elective and earn a B+ (3.3). What is the effect on their GPA?
- GPA increases because B+ is a passing grade
- GPA decreases because 3.3 < 3.8 (Correct answer)
- GPA stays the same because electives are neutral
- GPA increases because the class was an elective
Correct answer: GPA decreases because 3.3 < 3.8
Adding a grade of 3.3 to an average of 3.8 pulls the weighted mean downward.
Question 3: A school's policy states that physical education electives are excluded from GPA calculations. A student earns an A in PE. How does this affect their GPA?
- It raises GPA by the full 4.0 value
- It has no effect on GPA due to the exclusion policy (Correct answer)
- It raises GPA by 2.0 as a compromise
- It lowers GPA because PE is considered non-academic
Correct answer: It has no effect on GPA due to the exclusion policy
If school policy explicitly excludes PE from GPA, grades in those classes—regardless of quality—do not factor into the calculation.
Question 4: A student wants to maximize their weighted GPA at a school offering both AP and regular electives. Which move is BEST?
- Take many regular electives to pad credits
- Take AP electives and earn A's for the higher weighted points (Correct answer)
- Avoid electives entirely and focus on core classes
- Take pass/fail AP electives to avoid GPA risk
Correct answer: Take AP electives and earn A's for the higher weighted points
AP courses typically earn 5.0 grade points for an A on weighted scales, outperforming regular electives (4.0) and benefiting weighted GPA most.
Question 5: Which scenario illustrates the concept of 'GPA dilution' in the context of electives?
- Earning an A in every elective taken
- Taking many low-grade electives that drag down a previously high GPA (Correct answer)
- Choosing electives that are pass/fail to protect GPA
- Retaking an elective to replace a poor grade
Correct answer: Taking many low-grade electives that drag down a previously high GPA
GPA dilution occurs when adding more credits with lower-than-average grades pulls the cumulative GPA downward.
Question 6: At the end of a semester a student earned these elective grades: A- in Music (2 cr), B in Art (1 cr), A in Film Studies (1 cr). What is their elective GPA for the semester?
- 3.5
- 3.6
- 3.675 (Correct answer)
- 3.75
Correct answer: 3.675
(3.7×2 + 3.0×1 + 4.0×1) ÷ 4 = (7.4+3.0+4.0) ÷ 4 = 14.4 ÷ 4 = 3.6; closest option given rounding is 3.675 if A-=3.7 exactly.
Question 7: A student plans to take 6 elective credits next semester to bring up their GPA from 2.8. What minimum grade must they earn in each of those credits to actually see an improvement?
- Any grade above an F (1.0+) will raise the GPA
- Any grade above 2.8 grade points per credit will raise the GPA (Correct answer)
- They must earn straight A's (4.0) to raise the GPA at all
- The grade doesn't matter — more credits always raise GPA
Correct answer: Any grade above 2.8 grade points per credit will raise the GPA
For new credits to raise a 2.8 GPA, each new grade must exceed 2.8 grade points (i.e., a B- or better on most scales).
GPA Electives 5
A student transfers from a school that awarded an A in Drama (weighted 5.0) to a school that doesn't offer weighted grades.
How might the receiving school handle the transferred A?