Final Grade Calculator
Enter your grade so far, the final exam's weight and the grade you are aiming for. You get the score you need on the final, plus the best and worst overall grades still possible.
Your current grade is treated as fixed and the final exam as the only thing left.
Formula and calculation
Worked example
With an 88% going into the final and the final worth 25% of the grade, 91% is the best you can still finish with — so a 90% target means 96% on the final. Score 0 and you would still have 66%, because the final can only move 25% of the grade.
When the number looks impossible
A required score above 100% is worth checking before panicking: it usually means the target needs a bigger jump than the remaining weight allows, not that you have failed. Two things are worth doing. First, confirm the weight — a final listed at 40% instead of 20% changes the answer enormously. Second, treat the required score as information about the target: if the best possible grade is 91% and you wanted 93%, the honest move is to ask about extra credit early, when there is still time to earn it. Retaking or replacing a low category is often worth more than a perfect final.
What the results mean
- Score needed on the final
- The score you need on the final exam, as a percentage. Above 100 means the target cannot be reached without extra credit; below 0 means even a zero on the final keeps you above it.
- Best possible overall grade
- The best overall grade still possible — what you would finish with if you score 100% on the final.
- What that means
- The same answer in one sentence, including whether the target is reachable at all.
- Worst case overall grade
- The overall grade you would finish with if you score 0 on the final. This part of the grade no longer depends on the final.
- Points the final can still add
- How many percentage points of the overall grade the final exam can still add — the size of the lever you still have.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate what I need on the final exam?
Multiply your current grade by the share of the course that is already done, subtract that from your target, then divide by the final's weight. With an 88% going in, a target of 90% and a final worth 25%: (90 − 0.75×88) ÷ 0.25 = 96%.
What does it mean if I need more than 100% on the final?
It means the target is out of reach on this exam alone — the part of the grade that is already fixed is too low for the remaining weight to lift it. In that case the realistic options are extra credit, a replacement category, or aiming at the highest grade that is still possible, which this calculator shows as the best possible overall grade.
What if the final is worth 100% of my grade?
Then your grade so far is irrelevant and the score you need is simply your target — enter 100 as the weight and the calculator will show exactly that. The same logic applies to a class where one project replaces everything else.
Does this work for a curved class?
Not directly. A curve is applied after the raw grades are computed, so nobody can tell you in advance what score maps to what letter. Use the calculator to find the raw score you need, then ask your instructor how the curve has worked in past terms.