Final Grade Calculator
What do you need on the final? Enter your grade going in, the grade you want, and how much the final counts.
Before the final
The final-exam lever
A student has 85% and wants a 90%. Drag the weight of the final. When the final counts for little, it barely moves the grade, so the needed score shoots past 100%. The more it counts, the more a strong final can pull the grade up (and a weak one can drag it down).
Needs 110%: impossible without extra credit.
The math: the final replaces a share w of your grade, so every point you want to gain must come from that share. Gaining 5 points of course grade with a 10% final means beating your current average by 50 points on the exam; with a 50% final you only need to beat it by 10.
The formula
w is the final's weight as a decimal (20% = 0.20). Example: current 84%, target 90%, final worth 20%. Needed = (90 − 84 × 0.8) ÷ 0.2 = (90 − 67.2) ÷ 0.2 = 114%. A B+ is safe with (87 − 67.2) ÷ 0.2 = 99%, and a B needs 79%.
The other two questions
My grade after the final: course grade = current × (1 − w) + final score × w. What the final was worth: w = (grade after − grade before) ÷ (final score − grade before). Switch the calculator mode above to run either. High school semester exam? Use the semester grade calculator.
Points-based classes
If your class totals points, the final's weight is its points divided by all points in the course. A 200-point final in a 1,000-point course has a weight of 20%.
Not sure what your current grade is? Work it out first with the grade calculator or the weighted grade calculator.
Questions students ask
What is an 80% as a grade?
80% is a B- on the standard 10-point scale (80–82%), worth 2.7 GPA points. 83% is the start of a B.
How are final grades calculated in high school?
Usually as a semester grade: two quarter grades at about 40% each plus a semester exam at about 20%. The semester grade calculator handles that split.
How do I figure out what I need on my final?
Use: needed = (target − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w, where w is the final's weight as a decimal. With a current grade of 84%, a target of 90% and a final worth 25%, you need (90 − 84 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = 108%.
What does it mean if I need more than 100%?
The target is out of reach with the final alone unless extra credit is available. The calculator shows the highest grade you can still reach with a perfect final, and the grades a realistic score would give you.
What if I get a 0 on the final?
Your grade becomes current × (1 − w). With an 84% going into a final worth 20%, a zero would leave you at 67.2%. The "worst case" line in the results shows this.
Where do I find the weight of my final?
In the syllabus or your school's online gradebook. Finals are commonly worth 15% to 30% of the course grade. If your class is points-based, the weight is the final's points divided by the total points in the course.
Does my current grade include everything before the final?
It should be your grade on all the work before the final. If more assignments are still to come, estimate them or use the weighted grade calculator first.