German Grade Scale 1 to 5 Explained
Published July 19, 2026By Samson PG
In Germany, 1.0 is best and 5.0 is fail. Passing typically starts at 4.0 — lower numbers are better, unlike percentage scales.
The German academic grade scale runs roughly from 1.0 (sehr gut) to 5.0 (nicht bestanden). Unlike percentage systems where higher is better, smaller grade numbers are better.
Typical meaning bands
| Grade (approx.) | Label (common) | Intuition |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0–1.5 | Sehr gut | Excellent |
| 1.6–2.5 | Gut | Good |
| 2.6–3.5 | Befriedigend | Satisfactory |
| 3.6–4.0 | Ausreichend | Sufficient / pass zone |
| 5.0 | Nicht bestanden | Fail |
Exact verbal labels and step sizes (0.1 vs 0.3) vary by school and exam type. Some schemes use 6 as a fail step in other contexts — confirm your Prüfungsordnung.
Percentage → German grade (illustrative map)
Universities often publish a linear-style conversion between percent and the 1–5 scale. A widely cited pattern for converting a percentage P between pass and max is variants of:
grade ≈ 1 + 3 × (maxPercent − P) / (maxPercent − passPercent)Clamped so results stay in the valid band. Do not treat any blog formula as official — use the table in your module description.
GPA / foreign credential notes
Credential evaluators may map German grades to 4.0-scale GPAs with their own charts. That is a separate layer from your Universität’s internal average (Gesamtnote).
Privacy
Exam percentages stay in your browser.
Use TryCalculatingNow German Grade Calculator
TryCalculatingNow German Grade Calculator helps explore percentage ↔ German grade conversions under common formulas shown in the tool. Sibling: UK classification guide for a different national banding system.
FAQ
Is 4.0 always a pass?
Often yes for many Hochschul exams — verify locally.
Is 1.0 rarer than an A?
Cultural and curve differences make cross-country rarity hard to compare from labels alone.
Do I average German grades the same way as %?
Credit-weighted averages still apply; some rules use modified scales for final degrees.
Can I convert CGPA 10-point directly to German grades?
Only via an official equivalence method — not a casual multiply.