Final Exam Grade Calculator

The score you need on a final exam depends on three numbers: your grade going in, how much the final is worth, and the grade you want to end with. This calculator finds that score, and tells you when your goal is already safe or out of reach.

How to Use It

1. Enter your Current Grade, your percentage in the class before the final.
2. Enter the Final Exam Weight from your syllabus (20 for a final worth 20% of your grade).
3. Enter the Grade You Want at the end, such as 90 for an A−.
4. Press Calculate. You’ll see the score you need, plus your overall grade if you ace the final or skip it entirely.

If your class has several graded categories, work out your current grade first with the Final / Weighted Grade Calculator, leaving the final blank.

How It Works

Your overall grade is a weighted average of your current grade and your final exam score, with $\vB{w}$ the final’s weight as a fraction (20% is 0.2):

Solving for the final score gives the score you need to reach your target:

If that’s more than 100%, no final score gets you there. If it’s 0% or less, your current grade already covers the target.

Worked Example

A student has an 85% in the class, the final is worth 20%, and they want to finish with an 87%:

1. The current grade keeps $\vA{85} \cdot (1 - 0.2) = 68$ points of the overall grade.
2. The final has to supply the rest: $(\vD{87} - 68) \div 0.2 = \vC{95}$.

They need a 95% on the final. With a perfect 100% they’d finish at 88%; with a 0 they’d drop to 68%.

Tips and Common Mistakes

• Use the final’s share of your grade, not its points. A 200-point final in a 1,000-point class is worth 20%.
• Your current grade is everything except the final, already weighted, not your last test score.
• Aim above the minimum. The score shown leaves no margin for a hard question.
• Check for other rules. Some classes require a minimum score on the final to pass, whatever your average.
• A high-weight final cuts both ways: it can rescue a grade, and it can sink one.