Final Grade Calculator

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How to use the final grade calculator

Find your current grade in your gradebook and the final exam’s weight in your syllabus. Each row is one class, so you can plan all your finals at once.

1. Enter your current gradeUnder Grade now, type a percent (88), points (176/200) or a letter (B+). Use an exact percent or points when you have them; a letter counts as the middle of its range. The class name is optional.
2. Add the final’s weightUnder Final weight, enter the percent of the course grade the exam counts for. For a final worth 20%, enter 20.
3. Pick your goalChoose a letter under Goal, and You need shows the score for that class. Use + Add class for your other finals, or Try sample classes to see an example.

The answer assumes the final is the only graded work left. If homework, projects or other tests are still to come, those scores can change your starting grade.

Understanding your result

Each class gets its own answer under You need. With Try sample classes loaded, the result shows:

In the result	Sample	What it means
Highest score needed	98%	Your hardest final, here Biology for an A−. Start studying there
A score under You need	87.5%	The lowest exam score that reaches that class’s goal, here Algebra II for a B
Out of reach	History	Even 100% leaves you at 77.6%, below a B; pick the next goal down
Already safe	–	Even a 0 keeps your goal; check whether you must still take or pass the final
Try a final score	70%	One score on every final, and where each class ends: Biology 84.4% B

“Already safe” describes the math. It doesn’t mean you can skip the exam.

What grade do I need on my final?

The score you need depends on three things: your grade before the final, how much the final counts and the course grade you want. If you have an 88%, your final is worth 20% and you want an A− at 90%, you need 98% on the final.

The calculator answers the questions students ask most before finals:

• What do I need on my final to pass?
• Can I still get an A or a B?
• What happens to my grade if I fail the final?
• What will my class grade be if I score 70%, 80% or 90%?

Need your current average first? The Grade Calculator under Related calculators works it out from your assignment scores or category weights.

How to calculate the score you need on a final exam

Your course grade combines your grade before the final and your exam score, each by its weight. Use percents for grades and a decimal for the weight: 20% is 0.20.

Score Needed Calculation

You have an 88% in Biology. The final counts for 20% of the course, and your goal is an A−, which starts at 90%:

StepResult

Score needed: 19.6 points from a final worth 0.20 = 98%

Step					Result
Weight before the final	1	−	0.20	=	0.80
Points your 88% locks in	88	×	0.80	=	70.4
Points the final must add	90	−	70.4	=	19.6
Points needed 19.6 ÷ Final weight 0.20 = Score needed 98%

When the answer has more decimals, the calculator rounds it up to one decimal, so the score it shows always reaches your goal under this formula. Your teacher’s scoring and rounding rules still apply.

Final Course Grade Calculation

To see where a given exam score leaves you, use the first formula. With an 88% before a final worth 20%:

Final exam score	Final course grade	Letter grade
0%	70.4%	C−
50%	80.4%	B−
70%	84.4%	B
85%	87.4%	B+
100%	90.4%	A−

Try a final score under the result does this for every class at once. A failing score and a zero aren’t the same: enter the score you actually expect.

Can I still get an A, B or C?

A goal can be out of reach while the next letter down is still possible. For the Biology example, an 88% before a final worth 20%, these are the scores you need on the standard scale:

Goal	Course grade	Final exam score needed
A	93%	Out of reach (113%)
A−	90%	98%
B+	87%	83%
B	83%	63%
B−	80%	48%
C+	77%	33%
C	73%	13%
C− or lower	70% or lower	Already safe

How much does your final exam affect your grade?

The final’s weight decides how far your grade can move. A 30% final has more pull than a 10% one, but even a 10% final can change your letter. Starting from an 88%:

Final weight	Course grade with a 0	Course grade with 100%	Score needed for 90%
10%	79.2%	89.2%	Out of reach
15%	74.8%	89.8%	Out of reach
20%	70.4%	90.4%	98%
25%	66%	91%	96%
30%	61.6%	91.6%	94.7%
40%	52.8%	92.8%	93%
50%	44%	94%	92%

A heavier final gives you more room to raise your grade, and more risk from a low score. Three things also change the answer:

• Classes graded in points: the final’s weight is its points divided by all the course points, final included, so a 200-point final in a 1,000-point course counts for 20%. With 704 of the 800 points before the final, enter 704/800 under Grade now and 20 under Final weight. If the final sits inside a weighted exam category, follow that category’s rules instead.
• Rounding: if your teacher rounds 89.5% up to 90%, the Biology example needs 95.5% instead of 98%. Count on that only when the policy says so; Fairfax County Public Schools, for example, rounds averages of 0.5 or more up to the next whole number.
• Replaced or dropped scores: if the final replaces a low test or a test gets dropped, your grade before the final changes, so work out the new number first. Some courses also require you to pass the final itself, whatever your average.

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