How to increase or get a good GPA
You’re finally here. Some of us have good GPA’s some of us don’t. It’s okay. Today I’ll be highlighting 7 things you need to do to increase or get a good GPA.
Before I get into it, let’s explain some basic concepts:
GPA — Grade point Average, this is gotten by multiplying your grade in a course to the unit of the course, do this for all your courses, adding them up and then dividing by the total number of units you are offering (i.e. add all the units of your courses to get the total number of units)
CGPA -Cumulative Grade point average, this is gotten by adding all your GPAs and diving by the frequency(e.g. you just entered 300 level, you will have 4 GPAs by then, add your GPAs and then divide by 4 to get your CGPA)
If you’d like more explanation on this, check out my post:
“How to calculate your GPA and CGPA in advance”
https://ayooluwaposiolomo.medium.com/how-to-calculate-your-gpa-and-cgpa-in-advance-85b487d88409
What is a good GPA?
To me, a good GPA is a GPA gotten by trying your hardest and putting in your very best. A lot of us want to get a First-Class, some of us are in a position in which no matter the GPA we get in every semester, we will never end up in a First-Class Grade. It’s okay; it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a First-Class GPA from now till you graduate no matter what your CGPA or current GPA is.
Step 1: Calculate the GPA you need to have in advance
You need to know the least GPA you can get to have the final CGPA you want. For example, I am a student who just entered 300 level, and I have a 4.21 CGPA, and I want to graduate with a First-Class. If I am an engineering student I have 5 years of study and therefore 10 semesters (5 X 2 = 10)[You have 2 semesters in each year of study], since I just entered 300 level, I have finished 2 years of study and therefore 4 semesters, meaning I have 6 semesters left (10–4 = 6). The next thing is to calculate the least score I can get in each semester throughout my engineering study. Since a First-Class is 4.5 CGPA, my total GPA throughout my entire stay has to be a total of at least 45 (4.5 multiplied by 10(semesters)). I hope you’re following, feel free to reread it to understand or ask a friend or higher level student to explain to you.
Moving on, now that I know I need a total GPA of 45, I calculate how much my total is at the moment, it is 16.84 (4.21 X 4(semesters) = 16.84), or you can just add all your GPAs till now, the answer will be close. Now you subtract, it gives you 28.16 (45–16.84 = 28.16), and then DIVIDE, it gives you (28.16 / 6 = 4.6933… approx. 4.7) 4.7 so you need to get 4.7 in each semester to get a First-Class.
If you add everything, (16.84 + (4.7 X 6) = 45.04) that gives you a First-Class result. Do this for any class that you are aiming for.
Step 2: Calculate the grade you need to have in each course to get your desired GPA
Now that we’ve calculated that we need to get a 4.7 GPA in each remaining semester to get a First-Class. We need to calculate the grade in each course that when calculated will result in a 4.7, it could be 10 A’s and 5 B’s or 11A’s 3 B’s and 2 C’s. And know that the courses with higher units like 3 units courses would do your result better when you get an A and will drastically reduce your result if you get a C or a D. Do the calculation and know the grade you are allowed to get in each course.
Step 3: Draw up an achievable reading plan
Please if you do not read, you do not pass, it is straightforward. You have to read, and you have to read efficiently. You need to prepare for everything in life, including your reading. Assign more hours to courses with higher units (e.g. 3 unit courses) and courses that you are having trouble with (e,g you failed the first test, you have a hard time understanding the course, you’ve heard rumours that the exam is DIFFICULT, etc.). The reading plan must also be achievable not some unrealistic plan that is impossible to follow.
Step 4: Stick to your reading plan
What is the point of a plan if you do not stick to it? I myself need to follow this advice. Sometimes we get sidetracked and don’t follow the plan. We need to continually remind ourselves that the reading plan is for our own good and must be followed to have a good result.
If you’d like help check out my post:
“How to stick to your reading plan”
https://ayooluwaposiolomo.medium.com/how-to-stick-to-your-reading-plan-7dad89f347e
Step 5: Manage your time efficiently
When you are in school, time passes so fast. The assignment that was due a week ago is all of a sudden due tomorrow. I advise you set a rule to live by (e.g. all assignments must be done, at most 2 days after I have been given or better still, the day I have been given). Sometimes you will have extracurricular activities, like choir practice or word study meetings, so you will have to wisely divide your time so that your academics do not suffer.
Step 6: Do your assignments and tests well
Assignments and tests are opportunities to garner as many marks as possible. The higher your CA, the lower the exam score needed to get an A, I talk more on this in my post:
“Secrets on passing well that nobody tells you”
https://ayooluwaposiolomo.medium.com/secrets-on-passing-well-that-nobody-tells-you-96920181c524
I advise you do your assignments in groups this way you spend less time and get a higher quality assignment because 2 or more heads are better than 1. Don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Step 7: Pray
I left the best for last. The bible says in Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”
Sometimes we get scared because we have no trust in our abilities and it is absolutely normal. You just need to remember that our strength is in God; he is the giver of strength, wisdom, and love. He will take care of everything, just let him know through prayer how you feel and what you want him to do for you. He hears, and he listens.
Edited by: Ebun Oluwatuyi
