This calculator works backwards from the grade you want. Enter your current grade in the class, how much your final exam or remaining assignment is worth, and the overall grade you are aiming for. It tells you exactly what you need to score on the final to reach your target.
Enter your current grade — the percentage you have in the class right now, before the final.
Enter the final exam weight — what percentage of your total grade the final counts for. Check your syllabus.
Enter your desired grade — the overall grade you want to end up with.
Click Calculate — see the exact score you need on the final.
The What If Grade Formula
Your current grade counts for everything except the final. If the final is worth 20 percent, your current work is worth the other 80 percent. To find the score you need, the calculator subtracts what your current grade already contributes from your target, then divides by the weight of the final.
For example, with an 85 percent current grade, a final worth 20 percent, and a target of 90 percent: your current grade contributes 85 times 0.80 = 68 points, you need 90 total, so the final must provide 22 points out of its 20 percent weight, which works out to needing 110 percent — impossible, so you would aim for the highest realistic score instead.
Next step: Once you know what you need on the final, use the Final Grade Calculator to confirm your overall course grade by combining all your weighted categories.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the calculator says you need more than 100 percent, your target grade is not reachable with the final alone, unless there is extra credit available. You would need to either lower your target or look for other ways to earn points. The calculator will tell you when this happens.
If the required score is 0 or negative, it means you have already secured your target grade no matter how you do on the final. You could score zero and still reach your desired grade, though it is always safer to do your best.
Your course syllabus lists how grades are weighted. Look for a grading breakdown that shows what percentage the final exam is worth, often somewhere between 15 and 40 percent. If the final is worth 25 percent, enter 25.
Yes. Any remaining graded item works. Enter its weight in place of the final exam weight, and the calculator tells you the score you need on that item to hit your target grade.
Enter your current grade before the final is counted. This is the grade shown in your gradebook right now, based on all the work you have completed so far, not including the final exam.