About the final grade
This final grade calculator tells you the score you need on your final exam to reach the grade you want in a course, based on your current grade and how much the final is worth. It runs in your browser.
How Final Grade works
How to use it
- Enter your current grade in the course (before the final).
- Enter the grade you want overall.
- Enter how much the final exam is worth (its weight).
The formula
Your current grade counts for the part of the course that is not the final — that is (100% − final weight). The score you need on the final is:
final = ( required − (100% − weight) × current ) ÷ weight
Worked example
Say your current grade is 70%, the final exam is worth 50%, and you want a required grade of 80%. Plugging in:
final = ( 80% − (100% − 50%) × 70% ) ÷ 50%
= ( 80% − 50% × 70% ) ÷ 50%
= ( 80% − 35% ) ÷ 50%
= 45% ÷ 50% = 90%
So you would need to score 90% on the final exam to finish the course with 80%.
Reading the result
If the needed score comes out above 100%, the target is not reachable even with a perfect final — aim a little lower. If it comes out below 0%, you have already secured the target and could score zero on the final and still reach it (though it is rarely wise to test that).
Common uses
- Find the score needed on a final
- Plan exam study
- Check if a target grade is possible
- Set a realistic goal
- Work backwards from a target
- Reduce exam stress
- Prioritise courses
- Understand grade weighting