Recalculate average after dropping an assignment.
Dropping the lowest score raises your average in two ways at once, which is why the gain is larger than people expect. It removes a low value from the numerator and it also removes one item from the denominator, so the remaining scores each carry more weight. Dropping a 41 from eight assignments averaging 78 lifts the average by over five points. The effect shrinks as the number of assignments grows, because one dropped item out of thirty barely changes the denominator — and it is largest exactly when the dropped score is far below your others, which is the situation the policy exists to handle.
Total points
Total = current average x number of assignments
New average
New = (total - dropped scores) / (assignments - number dropped)
An illustrative estimate only. Grading scales, GPA weighting, dropped-assessment rules and honours criteria are set by your institution and vary between programmes and academic years. Confirm all figures with your course handbook, registry or academic adviser before relying on them for any academic decision.
Because both the numerator and the denominator change. Removing a 41 takes 41 points out of the total and also means dividing by seven instead of eight, so the remaining scores each count for more. The two effects compound, which is why the gain often exceeds five points.
Almost never. A skipped assignment scores zero, which becomes your dropped score and removes the safety net for anything that genuinely goes wrong later — illness, a clash, a misread question. The policy is insurance, and spending it deliberately leaves you uninsured.