Field Goal Success Rate Calculator: Formula and Examples

A field goal success rate calculator finds the percentage of field goal attempts that were made. Enter the number made and the total attempts; it returns the make rate as a percentage, along with the number missed.

Formula

The success rate is the number of made field goals divided by the number attempted, multiplied by 100:

Success rate (%) = (made ÷ attempts) × 100

• Made is the count of successful field goals, with no unit.
• Attempts is the total count of field goal attempts, also with no unit.
• Missed is attempts minus made, with no unit.

The calculator displays the rate to two decimal places. For the input to describe a valid record, attempts must be greater than zero and made must not exceed attempts. The calculator’s input limits prevent negative counts, but the formula assumes you enter consistent values.

Worked Example

Using the defaults, a player made 18 field goals in 24 attempts.

1. Divide makes by attempts: 18 ÷ 24 = 0.75.
2. Convert the decimal to a percentage: 0.75 × 100 = 75.
3. Missed attempts: 24 − 18 = 6.

The result is a 75.00% field goal success rate and 6 missed field goals.

What the Success Rate Measures

In American football, a field goal is a scoring attempt in which the ball is kicked through the uprights and above the crossbar. Field goal success rate, often called field goal percentage, is a simple measure of how often attempts are made. It does not measure points scored, distance, difficulty, or the value of a kick in a particular game situation.

The same arithmetic applies to a kicker’s season, a team, a game, or a career. First decide which attempts belong in the group, then count makes and total attempts from that same group. A season rate, for example, should use the season’s field goals made and season’s field goal attempts—not a career total for one number and a season total for the other.

How to Use the Calculator

• Enter the number of field goals made in the period you are measuring.
• Enter the total number of field goal attempts in that exact period.
• Read the percentage as the share of attempts that were successful. The missed count is a useful cross-check.

Attempts include both successful and unsuccessful attempts. If a record has 18 makes and 24 attempts, there were 6 misses. Do not enter only the misses as the total, and do not add makes to attempts: the attempt count already includes makes.

The calculator uses counts rather than yards, feet, or meters, so no distance conversion is needed. Kick distance matters when interpreting or comparing performance, but it is not part of this basic calculation. A 50-yard attempt is about 45.72 meters, but the success-rate formula does not convert that distance into a different weight.

Interpreting Results and Comparing Rates

A rate of 75% means three-quarters of the recorded attempts were made. It does not mean the kicker will make exactly three of every four future attempts. It describes the observed group, and a small sample can be especially sensitive to one extra make or miss.

For example, 3 makes in 4 attempts is also 75%, but it represents far fewer kicks than 75 makes in 100 attempts. The percentages are equal; the evidence behind them is not equally extensive. When comparing players or teams, consider the number of attempts alongside the percentage.

Rates can also hide differences in attempt difficulty. Distance, weather, field conditions, pressure, and the situation in the game may differ across samples. A basic success-rate calculator treats every attempt equally. It cannot explain why one group had a higher percentage or adjust for the circumstances of each kick.

Be careful when comparing figures from different sources. Check that they cover the same competition, dates, and type of attempt. A statistic that includes only regular-season games is not directly comparable to one that also includes postseason games. Also check how the source handles unusual plays or records; use a consistent definition for both makes and attempts.

Common Errors and Limits

• Inconsistent totals: Makes must be part of the attempt count. If made is greater than attempts, the inputs do not describe a possible record.
• Zero attempts: A success rate cannot be calculated when attempts are zero, because division by zero is undefined. Report the rate as not applicable rather than 0%.
• Premature rounding: Calculate from the full counts, then round the final percentage. Rounding an intermediate decimal can change the displayed result slightly.
• Mixing categories: Do not combine field goals with extra-point attempts unless you intentionally want a different, combined statistic. They are distinct attempt types.
• Reading the rate as a forecast: A past percentage is not a guarantee of future results. It summarizes only the attempts included in the calculation.

The calculator’s two-decimal display is a formatting choice, not added precision in the underlying record. With whole-number counts, small samples can produce rates that jump substantially when one attempt changes. For instance, one additional make changes the result by 1 percentage point in a group of 100 attempts, but by 25 percentage points in a group of 4.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate field goal percentage?
Divide field goals made by total field goal attempts, then multiply by 100. For 18 makes in 24 attempts, the result is (18 ÷ 24) × 100 = 75%.

Is field goal success rate the same as field goal percentage?
Yes. In this context, both terms describe made field goals as a percentage of total field goal attempts.

Do missed kicks count as attempts?
Yes. The total attempts include both made and missed field goals. Misses equal attempts minus makes.

What if there were no attempts?
The percentage is undefined because there is no number to divide by. Use “not applicable” or leave the rate blank rather than treating it as zero percent.

Does field goal percentage account for kick distance?
No. The basic calculation counts each attempt equally. It does not adjust for distance or other conditions, so those factors must be considered separately when interpreting a rate.

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in made | Field goals made | - | 18 | 0
in att | Field goal attempts | - | 24 | 0
out rate | Field goal success rate | % | 100 * made / att | 2
out missed | Field goals missed | - | att - made | 0