The CAP Calculator is tedious to work, needing a lot of clicks, mouse moving and wrestling with dropdowns. Furthermore, inputs and results cannot be saved, so if one has done 30 modules, recalculating one's CAP is a bitch.
The Average Grade Simulator is less tedious to use, but there's the irritating issue of how they won't let you aim for a lower Vital Statistic than the one you already have.
Other faculties have similar tools, but my cursory survey of them shows them to be equally disappointing. Given how these tools fail to meet my requirements, all this while I've been manually calculating the minimum Vital Statistic I need to get to secure my desired type of degree. Like all Vital Statistics, of course, this one is secret, not least since I don't want to be made fun of (again).
Recently I was bored and decided to work some Excel magic, so after some Excel manipulation and beta testing by my dedicated cadre of beta testers, voila
Agagooga's CAP Calculator 1.0 has been released.
Changes from RC 1:
- Instructions on using the calculator
- Cell colouring for aesthetics and functionality
- Notes about D & D+
- Note if your target CAP >5
Features:
- Can be saved to your hard disk for future reference and updating as you graduate through your University career
- Space for up to 80 modules
- CAP Calculator (duh!)
- Outputs minimum target CAP for your remaining modules to attain desired degree, with automatic compensation in the case of First Class, given an inputted value for Thesis MCs, to 9 decimal places for you sticklers
- Option to input number of SUed MCs you have done, are doing or will be doing
- Compensation for F grades (this was a bitch!)
- Predicts your job, based on the type of degree you get
- A worksheet, 'The shameful underbelly', where I hide some of the ugly tricks I used in coding this, and you can look and suggest to me a less messy way to perform some functions
- A disclaimer so no irate NUS students who failed to graduate with their desired degree (or at all) will come at me with parangs
- You can't beat the price!
- Some other things I forgot
Safeguards:
- Locked cells so you can't screw it up like some of my beta testers
- ISTEXT and ISNUMBER checking so if you leave some fields empty and others filled, it doesn't screw up the program
- Restricted values for some fields so you can't screw up the program
- Some other things I forgot
Known Issues:
- One beta tester is on Open Office and this doesn't work for her (she gets 0 in one cell although the formula is correct). I guess sometimes you get what you pay for.
Special thanks:
- All my beta testers and everyone who didn't ignore me when I pestered them about it, especially The Master Of Office and YuCheng, Lin.
Again, if you missed it, the download link is:Agagooga's CAP Calculator 1.0 (Excel Spreadsheet)
For sending bug reports, brickbats and Paypal Donations, the address you want is gabrielseah(at)hotmail(dot)com. Or you can always use the feedback form.
