Your final exam is worth a slice of the whole course, and the rest of your grade is already locked in — so a little algebra tells you exactly where you stand. Enter your current grade, the final exam weight and your target, and this tool solves for the score you need on the final. Switch to Course grade mode to go the other way and turn a final score into your overall course grade. Both give you the matching letter grade instantly.
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Required final score—
Letter grade—
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How to Work Out the Grade You Need
Three numbers, and you know where you stand.
1
Pick a mode
Choose Grade needed to find the final score for a target, or Course grade to turn a final score into your overall grade.
2
Enter your numbers
Type your current grade and the final exam weight, then your target grade or your actual final score depending on the mode.
3
Read the result
See the required score or overall grade with its letter grade. Tracking every course? The GPA Calculator rolls them into a GPA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What grade do I need on my final?
Enter your current grade, the weight of the final exam and the grade you are aiming for, and the calculator solves for the score you need on the final. It rearranges the course-grade formula: your current grade counts for the part of the course already finished (one minus the final weight), and the final exam counts for its weight, so the required final score is your target minus your current grade times the non-final portion, all divided by the final weight. For example, an 88 percent so far with a final worth 20 percent and a 90 percent target needs about 98 percent on the final. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How does the final exam weight affect my grade?
The final exam weight is the share of your overall course grade that the final is worth, and it decides how much the exam can move your standing. A heavier weight — say 40 percent instead of 15 percent — means the final has more power to pull your grade up or drag it down, so a strong final helps more and a weak one hurts more. A lighter weight locks in most of the grade you have already earned, leaving less riding on the final. In the formula the weight splits the course into two parts: your existing grade covers one minus the weight, and the final covers the weight. Change the weight field and watch how the required score or the overall grade shifts.
Can I still pass if I fail the final?
Whether you can pass after a poor final depends on your current grade and how much the final is worth. Switch to Course grade mode and enter a low final score to see the overall grade you would end up with: your current grade still counts for one minus the final weight, so a high mark going in can keep you above a passing line even if the final goes badly. The lighter the final weight, the more a failed final is cushioned by the work you have already banked; a heavy final gives you less protection. Enter your real numbers to see the exact overall grade and letter for any final score you are worried about.
How do I calculate my overall course grade?
Your overall course grade is a weighted average of the work before the final and the final itself. Take your current grade and multiply it by the portion of the course that is not the final — that is one minus the final weight — then add your final score multiplied by the final weight. For example, an 88 percent current grade with a final worth 20 percent and a 90 percent final gives 88 times 0.8 plus 90 times 0.2, which is 70.4 plus 18, or 88.4 percent overall. Use Course grade mode to enter your current grade, the final weight and your final score, and the calculator returns the overall percentage and its letter grade.
What if the required score is over 100 percent?
If the calculator says you need more than 100 percent on the final, the target you set is out of reach — even a perfect final would not lift your overall grade that high, so the tool flags it as not reachable. That usually means your current grade is too far below the target for the weight of the final to close the gap. You can respond by lowering your target to something achievable, or, if the syllabus offers extra credit or a curve, factoring that in separately. The opposite can also happen: if the required score comes out at zero or below, you have already secured your target and could score nothing on the final and still hit it.