Final Grade Calculator
Use “Score I Need” before your final, or switch to “Predict My Grade” if you already know the exam score you expect.
Score needed for each letter grade
| Course grade you want | Score needed on the final |
|---|
What-if final exam scores
| Final exam score | Projected course grade | Letter grade |
|---|
How to Use the Final Grade Calculator
Enter the percentage shown as your current course grade, then enter how much the final exam counts toward the overall course grade. Finally, enter the course grade you want to finish with.
The result answers the common question: “What grade do I need on my final?” It also checks whether that target is still mathematically possible and shows nearby what-if outcomes.
Final Grade Formula
Required final = (Target − Current × (1 − Final weight)) ÷ Final weight
Use the final exam weight as a decimal inside the formula. For example, a final worth 30% has a weight of 0.30 and the coursework completed before the final represents the remaining 0.70.
Final Grade Calculator Example
Suppose your current grade is 86%, the final exam is worth 25% of the course and you want to finish with an 88%.
Your completed coursework contributes 86 × 0.75 = 64.5 percentage points. To finish at 88, the final must supply another 23.5 points. Since the final is worth 25% of the course, 23.5 ÷ 0.25 = 94. You would need a 94% on the final.
What Do I Need on My Final to Keep My Grade?
If the final is simply one weighted part of your course grade, you need a final exam score equal to your current grade to keep it. A student with an 85% who scores 85% on the final still finishes with 85%, whatever the final is worth. Score higher than your current grade and the course grade rises; score lower and it falls.
How far it moves depends on the final's weight. This table shows the range for a student whose current grade is 85%:
| Final exam worth | Course grade if final = 0% | Course grade if final = 100% | Score to keep 85% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | 76.5% | 86.5% | 85% |
| 15% | 72.25% | 87.25% | 85% |
| 20% | 68% | 88% | 85% |
| 25% | 63.75% | 88.75% | 85% |
| 30% | 59.5% | 89.5% | 85% |
| 40% | 51% | 91% | 85% |
| 50% | 42.5% | 92.5% | 85% |
If My Final Is Worth 20% of My Grade, What Do I Need?
A final worth 20% is common, so here are the scores needed for each letter grade on a simple 90/80/70/60 scale. Find your current grade in the first column. For any other weight or cutoff, use the calculator above.
| Current grade | To finish with 90% (A) | To finish with 80% (B) | To finish with 70% (C) | To finish with 60% (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65% | Not possible | Not possible | 90% | 40% |
| 70% | Not possible | Not possible | 70% | 20% |
| 75% | Not possible | 100% | 50% | Secured |
| 78% | Not possible | 88% | 38% | Secured |
| 80% | Not possible | 80% | 30% | Secured |
| 82% | Not possible | 72% | 22% | Secured |
| 85% | Not possible | 60% | 10% | Secured |
| 88% | 98% | 48% | Secured | Secured |
| 90% | 90% | 40% | Secured | Secured |
| 92% | 82% | 32% | Secured | Secured |
| 95% | 70% | 20% | Secured | Secured |
"Not possible" means even 100% on the final falls short. "Secured" means you reach that grade even with 0% on the final (your school may still require you to sit the exam). With a 20% final, the most the exam can raise or lower your grade is one-fifth of the gap between your current grade and 100% or 0%.
Semester Grade Calculator: Two Quarters Plus a Final
Many high schools build a semester grade from two quarter (or term) grades and a final exam. The weights come from your school, so check your handbook. Say your school uses 40% for each quarter and 20% for the final, you earned 88% in Q1 and 82% in Q2, and you want a B+ (87%).
- Combine the quarters into one current grade. (88 × 40 + 82 × 40) ÷ 80 = 85%. With equal quarter weights this is just the average.
- Enter 85% as the current grade and 20% as the final weight.
- Solve for the final. (87 − 85 × 0.80) ÷ 0.20 = 95%. An A− (90%) would need 110%, so it is out of reach through the final alone.
If your quarters carry different weights, or your class uses categories (homework, tests, labs), work out the pre-final grade with the weighted grade calculator first.
What If I Have More Than One Final?
Run the calculator once per class, because each final only affects its own course. Start with the classes where the final is worth the most or where you sit closest to a letter-grade cutoff; those are where extra study changes the result most. When you have your expected course grades, put them into the GPA calculator to see what they do to your semester and cumulative GPA.
What If I Need More Than 100% on the Final?
If the calculator says you need more than 100%, your target is mathematically out of reach under the percentages you entered. The calculator also shows your maximum possible course grade if you earn 100% on the final.
Extra credit, curves, dropped assignments, replacement grades or other course policies can change the real outcome, so use the percentages and rules in your syllabus.
What If I Already Reached My Target?
A required score of 0% or below means your current grade is already high enough to meet the target even if the final contributes zero points. Your course may still require you to take the exam, so this result should not be interpreted as permission to skip it.
How to Predict Your Final Course Grade
Switch the calculator to Predict My Grade, then enter the score you expect to earn on the final. The calculator uses the same weighted-average formula:
Final course grade = Current × (1 − Final weight) + Exam score × Final weight
What Grade Do I Need to Pass My Final?
“Passing” can mean different percentages at different schools. If your course requires 60% overall, enter 60 as the target. If it requires 70%, enter 70. Use your course or school policy rather than assuming one universal passing grade.
Can I Use Letter Grades Instead of Percentages?
The grade math itself is most reliable when you use the exact percentages from your gradebook and syllabus. Letter-grade boundaries vary, so the calculator uses percentages for the actual calculation and only uses the selected grade scale to label projected outcomes.
Why Your Real Final Grade Might Be Different
This calculator assumes your current grade correctly represents all coursework completed before the final and that the final exam has one fixed weight. Your actual course may use category weighting, extra credit, curves, dropped scores, minimum-exam requirements or special rounding rules.
If your gradebook uses weighted categories such as homework 20%, quizzes 25%, projects 25% and final exam 30%, calculate your pre-final weighted grade correctly before using this page. The weighted grade calculator does this for you.
Final Exam What-If Table
The what-if table lets you compare several exam scores without recalculating manually. This can help answer questions such as “What happens if I score 80%?” or “How much does a 95% final move my course grade?” The “Score needed for each letter grade” table above it shows, in one view, the final exam score you need for every grade on the scale you selected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What grade do I need on my final?
Enter your current grade, final exam weight and target course grade. The calculator solves for the exact final-exam percentage required to reach that target.
How do I calculate my final grade?
Multiply your current grade by the percentage of the course already completed, multiply your final exam score by the final's weight, then add the two results.
If my final is worth 20% of my grade, what do I need?
Required score = (target − current × 0.80) ÷ 0.20. For example, with an 88% going in, you need 98% for a 90% A and 48% to keep a B (80%). The table above lists other starting grades.
What do I need on my final to keep my grade?
A score equal to your current grade. If you have 85% now, an 85% on the final keeps you at 85% whatever the final's weight, as long as your class simply weights the final against the rest of the course.
Can I still get an A?
Enter the percentage your school uses for an A as the target. If the required exam score is 100% or lower, the target is mathematically possible under the values entered.
What if I need 105% on my final?
A required score above 100% means the target cannot be reached through the final exam alone unless your course allows extra credit or another policy changes the calculation.
How much can a final exam change my grade?
The higher the final's weight, the more influence it has. A final worth 40% can move the course grade much more than one worth 10%.
Is this calculator free?
Yes. It runs in your browser and requires no account or subscription.
Are my grades uploaded anywhere?
The calculator math runs in your browser. The calculator code does not submit the grade values to an external calculation API.