Final Grade Calculator: Find Your Required Exam Score

What This Final Grade Calculator Does

Students in high school through university can use this tool to determine what score they need to get on their final exam to achieve the course grade they desire.

It works for any type of grading system where percentage grading is used. Examples include when:

• You near the cutoff grade, and wish to calculate if you can still obtain that grade
• You have a final that counts for a large portion of your overall grade, and would like to determine how much time you will probably need to study for it
• You want to understand whether you could aim for a lower score on the final exam, and still pass the course.

How to Calculate Your Final Grade in 3 Steps

You provide three numbers to calculator:

1. Your current course grade prior to receiving your final exam
2. The final course grade that you would like to earn
3. The final exam’s percentage contribution toward your overall grade

The calculator performs its calculations and provides you with:

1. The overall course grade you wanted to achieve
2. The total number of grade points that your current grade covers
3. The amount of grade points that you still need to earn
4. What your final score should be on your final exam

The grading system of this tool is based entirely on percentages. It does not factor in any extra credit, attendance points, or letter grade curves.

The Math It Runs Behind the Screen

The following formulas are used for calculating the final grade:

• Calculate your current grade points:
  

  $$\text{Current Grade Points} = \text{Current Grade} \times \left(1 – \frac{\text{Final Weight}}{100}\right)$$

• Calculate how many points you still need:
  

  $$\text{Points Needed} = \text{Desired Grade} – \text{Current Grade Points}$$

• Calculate the required final exam score:
  

  $$\text{Required Final Score} = \frac{\text{Points Needed}}{\dfrac{\text{Final Weight}}{100}}$$

Step-by-Step Calculation

let the Current Grade = 75%, Desired Grade = 80%, and Final Exam Weight = 30%

• Step 1:
  

  $$\text{Current Grade Points} = 75 \times \left(1 – \frac{30}{100}\right) = 75 \times 0.70 = 52.5$$

• Step 2:
  

  $$\text{Points Needed} = 80 – 52.5 = 27.5$$

• Step 3:
  

  $$\text{Required Final Score} = \frac{27.5}{0.30} = 91.67\%$$

So you need to score at least 91.67% on your final exam to finish the course with an 80%.

What the Tool Will Not Do

There are a few points you should remember when using the tool.

• If the result from this grading calculation is above 100%, a score on the Exam cannot allow you to meet your goal.
• When the resulting grade is 0% or below, you will have already achieved your desired grade.
• The tool is not connected to your school’s system. You will enter the data manually, therefore it is essential to double-check all of your inputs.
• Always confirm what your final exam is worth from your syllabus and/or with your professor.

The purpose of this tool is for planning only. It should be used in conjunction with your official grade tracker at school.

Many aspects of school are out of your control; however you can determine your target score. By entering your numbers and knowing your target score, you will know what level of preparation you will need to prepare effectively for the test. This will eliminate some of the stress and anxiety that often is present at testing time.