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Final Grade Calculator

Find out what score you need on your final exam to reach the course grade you want. Enter your current grade, your goal and the weight of the final, and see a table of outcomes for scores from 50% to 100%.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Runs in your browser
  • Everyday
Grades can be 0–150% (extra credit). The final exam weight is its share of the course grade, for example 20%.

Letter grades use a common US scale: A 93+, A- 90, B+ 87, B 83, B- 80, C+ 77, C 73, C- 70, D+ 67, D 63, D- 60, F below 60. Your school's scale may differ.

How to use the final grade calculator

  1. Enter your current grade: your average in the course before the final, as a percentage.
  2. Enter the desired overall grade you want to finish with, for example 90 for an A-.
  3. Enter the final exam weight: the share of the course grade that the final counts for, as shown in your syllabus, such as 25.
  4. Press Calculate.

The result shows the score you need on the final. If the needed score is above 100%, the calculator tells you the goal cannot be reached without extra credit and shows the best grade a perfect final would give. If the needed score is 0% or less, the goal is already secured. The Details table lists the overall grade you would finish with for final scores of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%.

The formula

If the final counts for a weight w (as a decimal), everything else counts for 1 − w:

  • Overall grade = current × (1 − w) + final × w
  • Needed on the final = (desired − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w

Worked example

Your current grade is 88%, you want to finish with 90%, and the final is worth 25%.

  • The work done so far contributes 88 × 0.75 = 66 points.
  • You need 90 − 66 = 24 more points from the final.
  • 24 ÷ 0.25 = 96% on the final.

The table for the same course: a 50% final gives 78.5% (C+), 70% gives 83.5% (B), 90% gives 88.5% (B+) and 100% gives 91% (A-).

Now suppose your current grade is 85%, you want 90%, and the final is worth 20%. You would need (90 − 68) ÷ 0.2 = 110%, which is not possible without extra credit; a perfect final would bring you to 88%.

Good to know

  • Use the current grade exactly as your school reports it, already weighted. If you only have separate scores for homework, quizzes and tests, work out the average first with the Weighted Grade Calculator.
  • Letter grades use a common US scale (A 93+, A- 90, B+ 87 and so on). Many schools use a different scale, so check your syllabus.
  • Grades up to 150% are accepted to allow for extra credit.
  • Some courses have other rules, such as needing a minimum score on the final to pass. The calculator only does the weighted average.

Frequently asked questions

What if the score I need is over 100%?

Then your goal cannot be reached with a normal final, because even a perfect score leaves you short. The result shows the best overall grade you can still get. Extra credit or a curve may change this, so ask your instructor.

What does already secured mean?

Your current grade is high enough that even a 0% on the final keeps you at or above your goal. You should still take the exam, since some courses require it to pass.

Where do I find the final exam weight?

It is usually listed in the course syllabus, for example Final exam 30%. If the final replaces your lowest test or follows another rule, the simple formula may not match your course.

Can I use points instead of percentages?

Convert to percentages first. Divide the points you have by the points possible so far for your current grade, and use the final's share of the total points as its weight.