Exam Curve Adjustment
Calculator

Curving applies a systematic adjustment, most commonly adding a fixed number of points to every score or scaling scores proportionally, so the overall distribution shifts upward. The exact method changes who benefits and by how much.

A flat curve adds the same number of points to every student regardless of their original score, which helps low scorers proportionally more. A scaled (multiplicative) curve raises higher scores more in absolute terms, since it multiplies rather than adds, preserving relative spacing between students.

With most standard curve methods, no student's score decreases; the curve is designed as an upward adjustment. An exception is a curve that re-centers the whole distribution around a target average, which theoretically could lower an already-high score if the raw average was inflated.

Curving to the highest score (setting the top score to 100% and adding the same gap to everyone) assumes the best-performing student represents a ceiling on what was achievable, correcting for an exam that was harder than intended. It's simple but can overcorrect if the top score was an outlier.

A flat (additive) curve never changes relative ranking or the gaps between adjacent students in raw points, since everyone shifts by the same amount. A scaled curve preserves ranking order but can change the point gaps between students.