What Grade Do I Need on the Final Exam?

The formula

Needed final score = (target − current × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight, where weight is the final’s share of the overall grade as a decimal.

In words: subtract the part of your grade already locked in (your current grade times everything that is not the final) from your target, then divide by the final’s weight.

A worked example

Say your current grade is 88%, the final is worth 30% (weight = 0.30), and you want an overall 90%. Needed = (90 − 88 × 0.70) ÷ 0.30 = (90 − 61.6) ÷ 0.30 = 28.4 ÷ 0.30 ≈ 94.7%.

So you would need about 95% on the final to finish the course with 90% overall.

Reading the result

• Above 100% — the target is not reachable from the final alone.
• Zero or below — you have already secured the target; even a blank final keeps it.
• In between — that is the score to aim for on the final.

Skip the algebra

The Final Grade Calculator does this in one step — enter your current grade, target, and the final’s weight. To work out your current grade from individual scores first, use the Grade Calculator.