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I noticed on Yale's entering class profile that the highest admitted GPA was 4.31. I always thought that (at least for most US colleges) the highest possible GPA was a 4.0. Do some colleges weight honors classes... or...?

An A+ is 4.3 on a 4.0 scale. Many undergrads don't count the extra .3, but some do, and LSAC does.

An A+ counts as 4.33 under the LSAC grading system.
Many colleges do not have A+s in their scales, however.
I predict that the guy was a brilliant, hardworking econ, math or science major. I think it's almost impossible for someone to get A+s for all the history, poli sci, government courses he takes.

nerd1 wrote:An A+ counts as 4.33 under the LSAC grading system.
Many colleges do not have A+s in their scales, however.
I predict that the guy was a brilliant, hardworking econ, math or science major. I think it's almost impossible for someone to get A+s for all the history, poli sci, government courses he takes.

Or gal!

barley wrote:

nerd1 wrote:An A+ counts as 4.33 under the LSAC grading system.
Many colleges do not have A+s in their scales, however.
I predict that the guy was a brilliant, hardworking econ, math or science major. I think it's almost impossible for someone to get A+s for all the history, poli sci, government courses he takes.

Or gal!

Oops sorry!

nerd1 wrote:

barley wrote:

nerd1 wrote:An A+ counts as 4.33 under the LSAC grading system.
Many colleges do not have A+s in their scales, however.
I predict that the guy was a brilliant, hardworking econ, math or science major. I think it's almost impossible for someone to get A+s for all the history, poli sci, government courses he takes.

Or gal!

Oops sorry!

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A. Nony Mouse wrote:An A+ is 4.3 on a 4.0 scale. Many undergrads don't count the extra .3, but some do, and LSAC does.

So even if the undergrad college doesn't count an A+ as a 4.3, the LSAC will? That's good to know

NotoriousRBG5604 wrote:

A. Nony Mouse wrote:An A+ is 4.3 on a 4.0 scale. Many undergrads don't count the extra .3, but some do, and LSAC does.

So even if the undergrad college doesn't count an A+ as a 4.3, the LSAC will? That's good to know

Yes!

isn't this a little unfair for students from schools that don't have/offer A+ (i.e undergrad and LSAC GPA capped at 4.0)? not complaining or anything because i can only think of a few courses where i did well enough to put me in a typical A+ range, but it would have been something to strive for as an undergrad if i knew the boost was there.

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I think if enough people complained and lobbied LSAC it might change. I mean, the whole reason LSAC "recalculates" grades is under this air of making the system uniform and fair to everyone and that clearly isn't true for several reasons, this being one of them.

whacka wrote:

trqdor wrote:isn't this a little unfair for students from schools that don't have/offer A+ (i.e undergrad and LSAC GPA capped at 4.0)? not complaining or anything because i can only think of a few courses where i did well enough to put me in a typical A+ range, but it would have been something to strive for as an undergrad if i knew the boost was there.

Yep, it sucks, but there's nothing to be done.

Isn't this somewhat canceled out by the A-? I guess I feel like a lot of 4.0 students would be about the same on a 4.3 scale, with a few being higher, and a few being lower.

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Hildegard15 wrote:

whacka wrote:

omegaweapon wrote:

whacka wrote:

trqdor wrote:isn't this a little unfair for students from schools that don't have/offer A+ (i.e undergrad and LSAC GPA capped at 4.0)? not complaining or anything because i can only think of a few courses where i did well enough to put me in a typical A+ range, but it would have been something to strive for as an undergrad if i knew the boost was there.

Yep, it sucks, but there's nothing to be done.

Isn't this somewhat canceled out by the A-? I guess I feel like a lot of 4.0 students would be about the same on a 4.3 scale, with a few being higher, and a few being lower.

Most schools give A- but no A+. I know that my GPA would be a tiny bit higher if my school gave A+

I'm not entirely understanding how the A- cancels out the advantage given to people at schools with a 4.3 system?

Because an A- would give a grade of 3.66 instead of 4. If we assume that the average 4.0 student has grades roughly evenly distributed abound 95%, some would be converted to a 3.66, and others would be converted to a 4.33. Theoretically it should mostly cancel out.

If Whacka is correct about MOST schools giving - grades, but not + grades, this is obviously not true.

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Hildegard15 wrote:

omegaweapon wrote:
Because an A- would give a grade of 3.66 instead of 4. If we assume that the average 4.0 student has grades roughly evenly distributed abound 95%, some would be converted to a 3.66, and others would be converted to a 4.33. Theoretically it should mostly cancel out.

If Whacka is correct about MOST schools giving - grades, but not + grades, this is obviously not true.

Ahhhhh yes thank you, I see where I wasn't following. My school is in the - grades without + grades category, though I have no idea whether that is true for most universities. It feels like it is. And like whacka, I'm know my GPA would be higher if my school had offered the A+

Interesting. If this is the case, I feel like schools, like mine, that don't do either might be the real ideal, not the ones that do both. I know that in a lot of classes I put in the effort I knew would get me over 90%, and then totally focused on other classes. Since a 4.0 is still above every school's 75th, I feel like an easier path to there might be better than a riskier one to 4.33.