15 out of 20 is 75%, which is a C on the standard US scale. Each question on a 20-question test is worth exactly 5 percentage points, so 16 correct is 80% (a B−) and 14 correct is 70% (a C−).
15 out of 20 as a percentage and letter grade
Fifteen correct answers out of twenty is 75%. On the standard US scale that is a C, because the C band runs from 73% to 76%.
Because every question is worth 5 percentage points on a 20-question test, the scores land on clean numbers instead of long decimals. That makes 15 out of 20 one of the easiest results to read straight off a chart.
| Correct | Wrong | Percentage | Letter grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 0 | 100% | A |
| 19 | 1 | 95% | A |
| 18 | 2 | 90% | A− |
| 17 | 3 | 85% | B |
| 16 | 4 | 80% | B− |
| 15 | 5 | 75% | C |
| 14 | 6 | 70% | C− |
| 13 | 7 | 65% | D |
| 12 | 8 | 60% | D− |
| 11 | 9 | 55% | F |
| 10 | 10 | 50% | F |
How many you can miss on a 20-question test
Five wrong answers still leaves a C at 75%. The letter boundaries are what catch people out, because they rarely line up with a whole question.
- An A needs 19 correct (95%). Two wrong gives 90%, which is an A−, not an A.
- A B starts at 83%, so 17 correct is 85% (a B) and 16 correct is 80% (a B−).
- A pass at 60% is 12 correct, so you can miss up to 8 questions and still pass the test.
Why 15 out of 20 is a C and not a C+
A C+ starts at 77%, which on a 20-question test would need 15.4 correct answers. Since part of a question cannot be answered correctly, the C+ band is unreachable and the scores step straight from C to B−.
That gap is the most common surprise on short tests. Several letter grades simply do not exist when the question steps are too wide to land inside them.
Score something else
For any other result, enter the score in the score out of X converter and read the percentage and letter grade instantly. The full wrong-answer table for this test length lives on the grading scale for 20 questions page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 15 out of 20 as a percentage?+
15 out of 20 is 75%. Divide 15 by 20 to get 0.75, then multiply by 100.
Is 15 out of 20 a passing grade?+
Yes. 75% is a C on the standard US scale, comfortably above the 60% (a D−) that most US schools treat as the lowest passing grade.
What is 14 out of 20?+
14 out of 20 is 70%, a C− on the standard scale.
What is 18 out of 20?+
18 out of 20 is 90%, an A−. A full A needs 19 correct (95%) because the A band starts at 93%.
Muhammd Salman
I build and maintain Grade Calculator independently. Every worked example on this site is checked against the underlying formula, with notes on where school or instructor policy can change the result. More about this site →