How to use it· 4 steps
- Enter your current grade in the course: the percentage on everything that comes before the final.
- Enter the final exam's weight from your syllabus — 20%, 25%, 40% and so on.
- Enter the overall grade you want and read the score you need, with the table for A, B, C and D underneath.
- Switch to “Grade I’ll end up with” to see what a particular exam score would give you.
Step by step
How to use the final grade calculator
- 1Enter your current grade in the course: the percentage on everything that comes before the final.
- 2Enter the final exam's weight from your syllabus — 20%, 25%, 40% and so on.
- 3Enter the overall grade you want and read the score you need, with the table for A, B, C and D underneath.
- 4Switch to “Grade I’ll end up with” to see what a particular exam score would give you.
The formula behind the answer
A course grade with a final exam is a weighted average of two parts: everything you have done so far, and the final. If the final is worth w (as a fraction), then overall = current × (1 − w) + final × w. Solving that for the final gives the number this page reports: needed = (target − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w.
With the values pre-filled above — a current grade of 84%, a final worth 25% and a target of 85% — the arithmetic is (85 − 84 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = (85 − 63) ÷ 0.25 = 88%. A second example: 72% now, a final worth 40%, and a target of 75% needs (75 − 43.2) ÷ 0.4 = 79.5%.
The weight decides how much the final can do for you. When it is worth 10%, even a perfect score lifts an 80% only to 82%; when it is worth 50%, the same perfect score lifts it to 90%. The “If you score 0” and “If you score 100%” figures show that range for your course, which is often more useful than any single target.
When the answer is above 100% or below zero
A required score above 100% means the target cannot be reached on the final alone. With 85% now, a final worth 20% and a target of 90%, the formula asks for 110%. The calculator says so plainly and shows the best grade still possible, so you can aim for the highest letter that is actually available. If your final offers bonus questions, raise the maximum score setting to match.
A required score at or below zero means the target is already secured: even a zero on the final would leave you at or above it. With 95% now and a final worth 30%, a 60% target gives −21.7% — that grade is safe. Reported as “already secured”, not as a negative number.
Two rules can override the arithmetic, so read your syllabus for them. Some courses require a minimum mark on the final itself to pass, whatever the average. Others let the final replace a low midterm, or drop the lowest test, which changes the weights. This calculator models the plain weighted average that most courses use.
Getting the inputs right
The current grade has to be your weighted average on everything except the final, as your gradebook calculates it. Systems such as Canvas or Blackboard usually show it as “current grade”, ignoring work that is not yet marked. If your course reports points instead — 340 out of 400 so far — divide to get the percentage: 85%.
If your course uses weighted categories (homework 20%, quizzes 20%, midterm 25%, final 35%), the final's weight is simply its category weight, 35%, and the current grade is your average across the other 65%. If several assessments are still to come besides the final, add their weights together and treat them as one block: the answer becomes the average you need across all remaining work.
The table uses the common 90 / 80 / 70 / 60 cutoffs for A, B, C and D. Plenty of syllabi differ — 93 for an A, or plus and minus grades — so for any other cutoff, type it as the target and read that row instead.
Using the number well
A precise target is easier to plan around than a vague hope. Knowing you need a 79.5% rather than “a good mark” tells you how much revision is enough, and whether to spend time on this course or on another where the stakes are higher.
The reverse mode answers the other question students ask after the exam: what does a 75% leave me with? Enter the score and read the overall grade, the letter it corresponds to and how far the final moved you. It is the same formula run the other way.
Everything is calculated in your browser, and nothing you enter is stored.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
How do I work out what I need on my final?
Subtract your current grade times the share of the course already done from your target, then divide by the final's weight. With 84% now, a 25% final and an 85% target: (85 − 84 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = 88%.
What if it says I need more than 100%?
Then the target is out of reach without extra credit or a curve. The calculator shows the best grade still possible with a perfect final, so you can aim for that.
What counts as my current grade?
Your percentage on everything before the final, weighted the way your course weights it — usually the “current grade” your school's gradebook shows.
Can I use points instead of percentages?
Yes, by converting: your current grade is points earned ÷ points possible so far, and the final's weight is the final's points ÷ the course's total points.
What if there is other work left besides the final?
Add the weights of everything still to come and enter that as the final weight. The answer is then the average score you need across all of it.
Is anything I type saved?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is stored or sent.