Average Calculator: How to Calculate an Average?

Averages are all around us—from calculating your leaving cert points, working out your average fuel consumption, or analysing financial data. Whether you're a student, a business owner, or just trying to make sense of numbers in everyday life, knowing how to calculate an average is an essential skill.

This guide will walk you through different types of averages, including simple averages, weighted averages, moving averages, and how to calculate them using Excel. Plus, if you want a quick and easy solution, our online average calculator does the work for you—no maths required!

How Do You Calculate an Average?

To calculate a simple average, add up all the values and divide by the total number of values.

For example

To find the average of 8, 10, and 12: (8 + 10 + 12) ÷ 3 = 30 ÷ 3 = 10

Sometimes, different values may have different levels of importance. In that case, we use a weighted average.

How to Calculate a Weighted Average?

A weighted average gives more importance to certain values based on their weight. This is useful in education, finance, and business analysis.

How to calculate weighted average

A student scores 60% on one test (weighted twice) and 80% on another test (weighted three times). The weighted average is:

((60 × 2) + (80 × 3)) ÷ (2 + 3)
(120 + 240) ÷ 5 = 72%

This method is widely used in Leaving Cert grading, where different subjects have different weightings depending on levels (Higher or Ordinary).

How to Calculate a Moving Average?

A moving average helps smooth out fluctuations in data, making it useful for stock market analysis, business forecasting, and sports statistics.

For example

Stock prices for 5 days: €20, €22, €21, €23, €25
3-day moving average:

• (20 + 22 + 21) ÷ 3 = 21
• (22 + 21 + 23) ÷ 3 = 22
• (21 + 23 + 25) ÷ 3 = 23

Moving averages help track trends over time rather than focusing on short-term fluctuations.

How to Calculate a General Average?

A general average is commonly used in school and university grading to assess overall student performance.

For example, a student receives the following grades:

• Maths: 85
• English: 90
• History: 88
• Science: 80

General average = (85 + 90 + 88 + 80) ÷ 4 = 85.75

This method is similar to how Junior Cycle and Leaving Cert results are averaged.

Blood Pressure Average Calculator: How to Calculate Blood Pressure Average?

Monitoring blood pressure is important for overall health, as readings can fluctuate throughout the day. To find your average blood pressure, take multiple readings and calculate the mean.

Blood Pressure Average Calculator

Blood pressure readings:

• 118/75 mmHg
• 124/78 mmHg
• 121/72 mmHg

Average systolic pressure = (118 + 124 + 121) ÷ 3 = 121 mmHg
Average diastolic pressure = (75 + 78 + 72) ÷ 3 = 75 mmHg

Final average blood pressure: 121/75 mmHg

For the most accurate results, measure at the same times daily and use a properly calibrated device.

Darts Average Calculator: How to Calculate a Darts Average?

In darts, the average score is a key performance metric, especially in professional competitions like the PDC World Championship.

The dart average is calculated by dividing the total points scored by the number of darts thrown, then multiplying by 3.

Darts Average Calculator

A player scores 501 in 15 darts.

(501 ÷ 15) × 3 = 100.2 average

In professional darts, an average above 100 is considered elite, while casual players typically score between 50 and 80.

Dice Average Calculator: How to Calculate a Dice Average?

In games like Yahtzee or Dungeons & Dragons, knowing the average roll of a dice helps with strategy.

For a fair six-sided die (D6), the average roll is:
(1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6) ÷ 6 = 3.5

For a 20-sided die (D20), commonly used in role-playing games:
(1 + 2 + … + 20) ÷ 20 = 10.5

Understanding dice averages helps players make better decisions based on probability.

How to Calculate Grade Point Average (GPA)?

Unlike the 4.0 GPA system used in the U.S., Irish universities and colleges use percentage grades or degree classifications.

A common Irish grading system:

• First Class Honours (1.1) = 70%+
• Second Class Honours, Upper Division (2.1) = 60-69%
• Second Class Honours, Lower Division (2.2) = 50-59%
• Third Class Honours (3rd) = 40-49%

To calculate a weighted GPA, multiply each grade by its credit weighting, sum the results, and divide by total credits.

For example

• Maths (30% weighting) – 75%
• Science (40% weighting) – 65%
• English (30% weighting) – 70%

GPA = (75 × 0.3) + (65 × 0.4) + (70 × 0.3)
= 22.5 + 26 + 21
= 69.5% (2.1 Honours)

How to Calculate Average Speed?

Whether you’re driving across Dublin, running a 5K, or cycling in the Tour de France, knowing your average speed helps measure performance.

Average Speed = Distance ÷ Time

For example

You drive 120 km from Cork to Limerick in 2 hours.

120 ÷ 2 = 60 km/h

For a marathon runner completing 42.2 km in 3.5 hours:

Average speed = Distance ÷ Time taken = 42.2 ÷ 3.5 = 12.06 km/h

How to Calculate an Average in Excel?

Excel makes it easy to calculate averages.

To find a simple average:

• Enter numbers in column A (e.g., A1 to A5).
• Click an empty cell and type: =AVERAGE(A1:A5)
• Press Enter.

Good to know

For weighted averages, use:
=SUMPRODUCT(values, weights)/SUM(weights)

For example, if your values are in A1 to A5 and their respective weights in B1 to B5, you can calculate your weighted average using:
=SUMPRODUCT(A1:A5, B1:B5)/SUM(B1:B5)

From Leaving Cert scores to darts averages, knowing how to calculate averages is a valuable skill. Whether you're managing your finances, tracking fitness progress, or improving your game, understanding averages helps make better decisions.

For quick and accurate results, try our online average calculator—it does all the maths for you!

Nishadh Mohammed

Nishadh Mohammed is a seasoned news editor and financial writer, working with HelloSafe since May 2023. Nishadh has developed expertise in financial markets, insurance, and investment products, with a deep understanding of the Canadian financial landscape. He has honed his SEO skills and content marketing strategies while writing for Canadian publishing houses. Armed with a master's in Business Analytics and extensive journalistic experience, Nishadh uniquely combines data proficiency and thorough research to deliver comprehensive and accessible information.