What these stats tell you
Mean is the arithmetic average — the headline number. Median is the middle score: if median is well below the mean, a few high scorers are pulling the average up and most of the class is below it. Range (max − min) shows spread. The distribution buckets (A/B/C/D/F bands) show whether the test separated students or crushed them.
Should you curve?
Common heuristics this tool reports:
- Average below 60% on a 100-point test → the test was likely too hard; a small flat curve or drop-lowest is defensible.
- Average 70–80% → typical healthy test; grades will spread naturally.
- Median near max → test too easy; consider harder items next time rather than a curve.
- Wide range (60+ points) → the test separates; check whether the bottom group lacked prerequisites rather than curving.
If you set a target average, the tool suggests the flat points to add: points = target − mean (suggestion only — check that adding it to your highest score doesn't exceed max).
Example
Scores 92, 85, 78, 74, 70, 68, 65, 61, 58, 54, 49, 43: mean 66.4, median 66.5, range 49. The average lands in the D band — a classic "fair but tough" test.