Final Grade Calculator

How to use the final grade calculator

1. Current grade: your grade on everything except the final. If your gradebook already counts the final as a zero, the number will be too low. Use our grade calculator to work out the grade on graded work only.
2. Final exam weight: the percentage of the course grade the final is worth, from your syllabus.
3. Score I need mode: enter the course grade you want. The result is the final score that gets you there.
4. What-if mode: enter a possible final score to see your course grade and letter.

Both modes also show your course grade with 100% and with 0% on the final, and a table with the score needed for an A, B, C and D.

The formula

With w = final weight ÷ 100, your course grade is a weighted average of your current grade and the final:

course grade = current × (1 − w) + final × w

Solving for the final gives the score you need:

needed = (target − current × (1 − w)) ÷ w

If the result is 0% or less, the target is already secured: even a zero on the final gets you there. Above 100%, you can only reach it with extra credit. The calculator shows the exact number either way.

Examples

1. Holding on to an A

You have 88% going into a final worth 20%, and you want a 90%. You need 98% on the final. Your course grade will land somewhere between 70.40% (a zero) and 90.40% (a perfect score).

2. Staying above a B

With 85% now and a final worth 20%, you need 60% on the final to finish with 80%.

3. When the target is out of reach

With 85% now and a final worth 25%, a 90% course grade needs 105% on the final, which isn't possible without extra credit. A B is realistic: it takes 65%, and a C only 25%.

4. What if you score 80%?

Back to example 1 (88% now, final worth 20%): an 80% on the final gives a course grade of 86.40%, a B.

Reading the result

Letters follow a common US convention: A 90% and up, B 80–89.99%, C 70–79.99%, D 60–69.99% and F below 60%. The what-if letter adds plus/minus: the top three points of each band get a +, the bottom three get a − (87–89.99% is a B+, 80–82.99% a B−), and A+ starts at 97%. There is no F+ or F−. The letter comes from the unrounded percentage, so 89.99% is a B+. Cutoffs vary by school and syllabus: some drop plus/minus, some use other cutoffs (the College Board's conversion chart, which it presents as one commonly used system, starts D at 66%), and some teachers round 89.5% up. Your teacher's scale and rounding rule always win, so if your A starts at 93%, type 93 as the grade you want.