How the Square Root Curve Calculator works
The square root curve (sometimes called the Texas curve) replaces each raw percentage with its square root times 10. Because the square root function rises fastest at the low end, it helps struggling scores the most: a 36% jumps 24 points to 60%, a 64% gains 16 to reach 80%, and a 100% stays exactly 100%.
Curved % = √(raw %) × 10 = √(raw % / 100) × 100
Teachers like it because it never lowers anyone, never exceeds 100, and preserves rank order: if you beat a classmate raw, you still beat them curved. The chart above shows the whole mapping against the no-curve line.
Frequently asked questions
What does a square root curve do to my grade?
It replaces your percentage with sqrt(percentage) x 10. A 49% becomes 70%, a 64% becomes 80%, an 81% becomes 90%. The lower the raw score, the bigger the boost, and 100% maps to itself.
Why do teachers use the square root curve?
It rescues the bottom of a hard exam without inflating the top, keeps everyone's rank order intact, and requires no judgment calls about how many points to add. One formula, applied uniformly.
Can a square root curve hurt my grade?
No. For any score between 0 and 100, the square root of the fraction is always at least the fraction itself, so the curved grade is always greater than or equal to the raw grade.
What raw score becomes a passing 70% under the curve?
A raw 49%. Since the curve computes sqrt(0.49) = 0.7, exactly 49% raw maps to 70% curved, which is why the curve is popular after brutal exams.