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Final grade calculator

Enter your current grade, the grade you want and how much the final exam counts, and see the score you need on the final, plus what each possible final score would leave you with.

Your grade in the class before the final.

How much of the class grade the final counts for.

Grade you want

Letter grades

Used for the letters below and for a letter-grade goal.

Off: 89.5% is a B+, because it's below 90.

See the cutoffs for this scale
LetterPercent
A+97–100
A93–96
A−90–92
B+87–89
B83–86
B−80–82
C+77–79
C73–76
C−70–72
D+67–69
D63–66
D−60–62
FBelow 60

Schools set their own cutoffs. If your syllabus differs, go by the syllabus.

You need on the final
96%
Possible. Score at least 96% on the final to finish with 90% (A−).
Current grade
88% (B+)
Final exam weight
25%
Goal
90% (A−)
With 0% on the final
66% (D)
With 100% on the final
91% (A−)

Class grade = current grade × (1 − final weight) + final score × final weight.

If you score…

On the finalClass gradeLetter
100%91%A−
95%89.75%B+
90%88.5%B+
85%87.25%B+
80%86%B
75%84.75%B
70%83.5%B
65%82.25%B−
60%81%B−
55%79.75%C+
50%78.5%C+

Shaded rows reach your goal.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Works on phone and desktop

How to find the grade you need on your final

  1. 1

    Enter your current grade in the class, as a percentage from your grade portal or report.

  2. 2

    Enter the grade you want, as a percentage or by picking a letter grade.

  3. 3

    Enter how much the final exam is worth: the percentage of the class grade it counts for.

  4. 4

    Read the score you need, then check the table of what each final score would leave you with.

Features

  • The exact score you need

    Rounded up to the hundredth, so the number shown is always enough, never a hair short.

  • A straight answer

    Already secured, possible, or not possible with the final alone, with the best and worst cases.

  • Every outcome at a glance

    A table of final scores from 100% down to 50% with the class grade and letter each one gives.

  • Letter goals that match

    Pick a scale and whether your teacher rounds, and an A− goal uses the right cutoff.

The formula

Your class grade after the final is a weighted average: your current grade counts for everything except the final, and the final counts for its own share. Solving that for the final score gives:

Score needed = (goal − current grade × (1 − final weight)) ÷ final weight

Say you have an 84% and the final is worth 25%. To finish with an 80% you need (80 − 84 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = 68% on the final. To finish with a 90% you would need 108%, which is more than a perfect score: the most you can reach is 88% (B+). And with a 95% going into a final worth 20%, a 70% is already safe: even a 0 on the final leaves you at 76%.

How much can a final move your grade?

The heavier the final, the wider the range of outcomes. Starting from an 85%, this is where you would finish with a perfect final, a 70% and a zero:

Final worth100% on the final70% on the final0% on the final
10%86.5% (B)83.5% (B)76.5% (C)
15%87.25% (B+)82.75% (B−)72.25% (C−)
20%88% (B+)82% (B−)68% (D+)
25%88.75% (B+)81.25% (B−)63.75% (D)
30%89.5% (B+)80.5% (B−)59.5% (F)
40%91% (A−)79% (C+)51% (F)
50%92.5% (A−)77.5% (C+)42.5% (F)

A 10% final can lift an 85% by only 1.5 points, though skipping it would still cost 8.5. A 50% final can leave you anywhere from 42.5% to 92.5%. Scoring below your current grade always pulls the class grade down, and scoring above it always pulls it up.

Rounding and letter cutoffs

Whether 89.5% is an A− or a B+ depends on your teacher. If grades are rounded to the nearest whole percent before the letter is given, an A− needs only 89.5%. With an 88% and a final worth 20%, that lowers the score you need from 98% to 95.5%. The calculator lets you choose the 10-point scale with or without plus and minus grades, or the 7-point scale where an A starts at 93, and shows the cutoffs it’s using.

Before you trust the number

The formula assumes your current grade is final and the exam is simply averaged in. A few common class policies change that, so check your syllabus:

  • Missing or ungraded work. A grade portal often shows only what has been graded. Late assignments or a project still being marked can move your current grade before the final does.
  • Dropped or replaced scores. Some teachers drop the lowest quiz, or let the final replace your lowest test. Then the final counts twice, and this formula underestimates what a strong exam can do.
  • Category weights. If the final sits inside a “tests” category rather than having its own weight, its share is the test weight divided by the number of tests (if every test counts the same). Or leave it blank in the grade calculator instead, which solves for the work still to come.
  • Rounding at the end. A teacher who rounds 89.5% up changes the target by half a point, as above.

Not sure of your current grade? Work it out from your categories with the grade calculator, then see how the class fits into your average with the GPA calculator. Teachers grading the final itself can use the test grade calculator and its printable chart, and a printable calendar helps plan the weeks of review.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate what I need on my final?

Use: needed = (goal − current × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight, with the weight as a decimal. With an 84% now, a final worth 25% and a goal of 80%, that is (80 − 84 × 0.75) ÷ 0.25 = 68%.

What does it mean if I need more than 100%?

Your goal is out of reach with the final alone: even a perfect score leaves you short. Look at the “With 100% on the final” line to see the best grade you can still reach, and ask your teacher whether there is extra credit or a curve.

What if the answer is 0% or less?

Then your goal is already secured: even a 0 on the final keeps you at or above it. The calculator says “Any score” and shows the grade you would end with if you skipped every question. You still want to do well, since the final may matter for the next class.

How do I know how much my final is worth?

Check the syllabus or ask your teacher: weights vary a lot between schools, teachers and classes. If the year’s grade is two semesters plus a final (for example 40%, 40% and 20%), enter the average of your two semester grades as the current grade and 20% as the weight.

Does my teacher round 89.5% up to 90%?

Many do, but not all, and some round only at the end of the year. If yours rounds, switch on “Round to a whole percent before the letter” and pick your letter goal: the calculator then aims for 89.5% instead of 90% for an A−.

My class uses total points. Can I still use this?

Yes. Divide the points you have by the points possible so far for your current grade, and use the final’s share of all the points as its weight: a 200-point final in a 1,000-point class is worth 20%. The grade calculator can do the points maths for you.

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