The United States college admissions process heavily emphasizes the high school GPA, often referred to as the Grade Point Average. For high school students aiming for competitive colleges, the standard is typically a 4.0 GPA, which is equivalent to an A average. However, the actual number of points for a high school GPA can vary depending on the grading scale used by the school. Most schools use a 4.0 scale, where an A is worth 4 points, a B is worth 3 points, a C is worth 2 points, a D is worth 1 point, and an F is worth 0 points. This scale is known as the "unweighted" GPA, which does not account for the difficulty of the courses taken. In contrast, some schools use a "weighted" GPA system, where honors, advanced placement (AP), and international baccalaureate (IB) courses are worth more points. For example, an A in an AP or IB course might be worth 5 points instead of the standard 4 points. According to a report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average unweighted GPA for high school seniors in 2020 was 3.0, while the average weighted GPA was 3.6. This indicates that while a 4.0 is the ideal target, most students fall short, with a weighted GPA being slightly higher due to the additional points for advanced courses.