Final Grade Calculator
Find out what score you need on your final exam to reach the grade you want — or what grade a given exam score would leave you with.
Your grade on the work graded so far.
The grade you want to finish the course with.
What you think you will score on the exam.
From your syllabus, e.g. 20%.
Score needed on the final
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Best possible grade
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If you score zero
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Final course grade
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Letter grade
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Change
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| If you score | Course grade | Letter |
|---|---|---|
Sign in or create a free account to save this calculation. Everything else works without one.
The scenario table is usually the most useful part. Rather than one number, it shows what a whole range of exam scores would give you — including how far you can drop and still hold the grade you have.
Related calculators
Grade Calculator
Add up points earned and points possible across assignments to get your course percentage and letter grade.
Weighted Grade Calculator
Calculate a course grade where homework, tests and projects each count for a different percentage.
Test Grade Calculator
Turn correct or wrong answers out of a total into a percentage and letter grade.
Target GPA Calculator
Find the GPA you need over your remaining credits to reach a goal, and whether that goal is still reachable.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your current course grade — the percentage on work graded so far, not one that counts the ungraded final as zero.
- Enter what the final is worth as a percentage of your grade. It is in the syllabus.
- Choose whether you want the score you need, or the grade a given score would give you.
How the calculation works
Your course grade is what you have already earned, plus what the final adds. If the final is worth 20%, everything before it is worth 80%.
Score needed = (target − current × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight
The second formula is the first one rearranged. Weight is written as a decimal, so 20% becomes 0.20.
A worked example
You have an 88% going into the final, you want to finish with a 90%, and the final is worth 20% of your grade.
- Everything before the final is worth 80%: 88 × 0.80 = 70.4 points banked
- You need 90 points in total, so the final must supply 90 − 70.4 = 19.6
- The final is worth 20 points, so you need 19.6 ÷ 0.20 = 98%
A 98% is possible but leaves almost no room. Notice how little a two-point rise in the course grade costs when the final is only worth a fifth of it — this is the arithmetic that surprises people most.
When the grade you want is out of reach
Say you are at 70% and want a 90%, with the final worth 20%. You have 70 × 0.80 = 56 points banked, so the final would need to supply 34 of its 20 available points — a score of 170%.
The best you can finish with is 56 + 20 = 76%, even with a perfect exam.
Better to know before the exam than after
If the number comes back above 100%, the target is not reachable in the course as described. The realistic options are extra credit, a curve, or aiming at a grade that is still available. All of them are worth raising with your instructor while there is still time.
How much the final actually matters
The weight of the final decides how much it can move your grade. Starting from an 85%, a perfect exam is worth very different amounts:
| Final is worth | Best possible grade | Worst possible grade | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 86.5% | 76.5% | 10 points |
| 20% | 88% | 68% | 20 points |
| 30% | 89.5% | 59.5% | 30 points |
| 40% | 91% | 51% | 40 points |
A heavily weighted final cuts both ways. At 40% it is the only thing that can lift an 85% into the 90s — and the only thing that can drop it to a failing grade.
Important notes and limitations
- Use your grade on graded work. A gradebook figure that counts the ungraded final as zero will give a badly wrong answer here.
- Curves and extra credit are applied by your instructor afterwards and cannot be predicted.
- Rounding varies. Do not count on 89.5% becoming an A-.
- Multi-part finals — a written paper plus an exam, say — should be entered as their combined weight if they are graded together.
- Some courses require a minimum final exam score to pass regardless of the course average. Check your syllabus.
Frequently asked questions
What grade do I need on my final exam?
Enter your current course grade, the grade you want to finish with, and what percentage of your grade the final is worth. All three are in your syllabus or gradebook. The answer is the score you need on the exam itself.
Where do I find what my final is worth?
The syllabus, usually in a grading breakdown — "final exam: 20%". If it lists points instead, divide the final's points by the total points in the course. A 200-point final in a 1,000-point course is worth 20%.
The calculator says I need over 100%. Is it really impossible?
Arithmetically, yes, in the course as described. The only ways out are extra credit, a curve, a dropped score you did not account for, or a current grade that is lower than your actual one. It is worth asking your instructor rather than assuming — but it is better to know now than after the exam.
Does this work for a midterm or a project?
Yes. Nothing here is specific to a final exam — enter whatever percentage the upcoming assessment is worth. The arithmetic is the same for a project worth 25% or a midterm worth 15%.
My current grade already includes the final as a zero. What do I enter?
Use the grade on work completed so far, not the figure that counts the ungraded final as zero. If your gradebook only shows the second, the Weighted Grade Calculator will give you the first.
Will my instructor round up?
Some do, some do not, and some round only at particular boundaries. Aim for the grade you want rather than for the rounding — and ask early if it matters to you.
Guides that explain this
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How to Calculate Weighted Grades
Turning a syllabus of percentages into a course grade, including what to do when your categories do not add up to 100%.
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How to Calculate Your Final Grade
Both directions of the final exam formula — the grade you will end with, and the score you need — plus when the target is out of reach.