What This Calculator Does

The Final Grade Calculator answers “what grade do I need on my final?” using a current percentage, desired overall percentage and exam weight. It also shows the overall grade if you score 0% or 100% on the exam. It handles one remaining final, rather than an entire gradebook.

When to Use It

Use it when the completed coursework has an average and the final has a defined percentage weight. To combine courses by credits, use the GPA calculator. For correct answers or points on one test, use the test grade calculator.

Inputs Explained

Current grade means the average of completed work, excluding the final. Target grade is the overall course percentage you want. Final exam weight is its percentage of the overall course. Each input is between 0 and 100, including decimal values. Enter zero explicitly; do not leave a required field blank.

How the Calculation Works

Let C be your current percentage, T your target and W the final’s weight in percent. Overall grade = C×(1−W/100)+F×W/100. Solving for the exam score gives F=[T−C×(1−W/100)]÷(W/100). At W=0, the tool compares C directly with T without dividing. At W=100, your existing average does not affect the required exam score.

Example

With current grade 80%, target 85% and a 40% final: coursework contributes 80×0.6=48 percentage points. The exam must contribute 85−48=37, so you need 37÷0.4=92.5%. A zero on the final produces 48% overall; a perfect final produces 88%. Change the target to 90% and the required score becomes 105%, outside the normal exam scale.