Final Exam Calculator Online & Free Grade Tool

Final exams can be stressful and it can be difficult to know what you need to score. However, whether you’re a high school, college or university student in the USA it can help to know what grade you’re currently at so you can set realistic goals to help you study.

A Final Exam Calculator can help you work out what grade you need to achieve on your final exam to receive a certain grade for your course. This will take your current grade, final exam weighting and your desired grade to give you an instant estimate.

Example

If your current grade is 85%, your final exam is worth 30% of your overall grade and you want to achieve at least a 90% grade at the end of the course, then this can help identify what grade you need on your final.

Rather than working out the weighted grade manually, we have a free Final Exam Calculator to help you understand what grade you need to aim for in seconds.

This tool can help high school, college and university students.

How to use the Final Exam Calculator

Using this calculator is easy to do. Simply follow the steps below.

1. Current Grade

Enter your current grade as a percentage.

If your current grade is 85%, you should enter 85.

2. Final Exam Weighting

Enter the percentage your final exam is worth.

If your final exam is worth 30%, you should enter 30.

3. Target Grade

Enter the grade you want to achieve at the end of the course.

If you want to achieve a grade of 90%, you should enter 90.

4. Calculate

Hit calculate to determine what grade you need to get on your exam.

5. View Results

The required grade will be displayed. This will help you to have a goal to aim for when you are studying.

If your required grade is over 100% you may need to adjust your target grade or talk to your teacher about grading options.

Final Exam Calculator Formula

The Final Exam Calculator uses a weighted average formula.

Basic Formula

Required Exam Score = (Target Grade - (Current Grade x (1 - Final Exam Weightage))) / Final Exam Weightage

Where:

Current Grade = Your current grade

Final Exam Weightage = The percentage your final exam is worth (as a decimal)

Target Grade = What grade you want to achieve

Required Exam Score = What grade you need to achieve on your exam.

Converting Percentage to Decimal

Convert the final exam weighting to a decimal.

Example:

10% = 0.10

20% = 0.20

25% = 0.25

30% = 0.30

40% = 0.40

Alternative Formula

((Target Grade - (Current Grade x ((100 - Exam Weightage)/100))) x (100 / Exam Weightage))

This assumes your current grade is an average of the work that makes up the rest of the percentage.

Example

Say you are a college student in the USA and want to achieve an A grade.

Your current grade is 85%, your final exam is worth 30% and you want to achieve a grade of 90% at the end of the course.

Known:

Current Grade = 85%

Final Exam Weightage = 30%

Target Grade = 90%

1. Convert the Exam Weightage to a Decimal

30 ÷ 100 = 0.30

2. Work out the Weighted Current Grade

85 x (1 - 0.30)

= 85 × 0.70

= 59.5

3. Work out the Required Exam Score

Required Score = (90 - 59.5)/0.30

Required Score = 30.5 / 0.30

Required Score = 101.67%

Final Answer

You will need to achieve around 101.67% on your final exam to achieve a 90% grade.

This is over 100% so you won’t be able to achieve your target grade using just your final exam. However, if you are able to gain extra credit or other adjustments to your grade.

If you wanted to achieve an 85% grade at the end of the course your required score would be:

Required Score = (85 - 59.5)/ 0.30

= 85%

This means you need to achieve an 85% on your exam.

What Does the Final Exam Calculator Tell Me?

Depending on your current grade and target grade there are a few different results you may see.

1. Required Exam Score

This tells you what grade you need to achieve on your final exam.

For example, if your result is 80% you will need to achieve a minimum of 80%.

2. Target Grade Possible

If your result is between 0% and 100% you will be able to achieve your desired grade.

3. Required Exam Score Over 100%

If your result is over 100% you won’t be able to achieve your target grade using just your final exam.

4. Required Exam Score Under 0%

If your required score is negative you have already achieved a high enough grade to achieve your target grade even if you score 0%.

5. Decimal Results

Your result may be a decimal. For example 87.65%. This will depend on how the exam is marked.

Things that may affect your result

There are a few things that could affect your result.

1. Current Grade

Your current grade will have a large impact on what grade you’ll need. If you have a high current grade you’ll need a lower grade.

2. Final Exam Weightage

The higher your final exam weighting the more it will impact your grade. If it’s worth 40% compared to 10% it will be a bigger impact.

3. Target Grade

The higher your target grade the higher score you’ll need. For example, if you want to achieve a 95% you’ll generally need a higher score than if you wanted to achieve an 80%.

4. Extra Credit

There may be extra credit tasks, bonus questions or extra work that could help increase your grade.

5. Marking and Rounding Rules

Some schools will round your final percentage. Others may use precise decimals.

6. Other Assessments

You may have other assessments such as quizzes, assignments, projects, participation etc. These may contribute to your final grade so you need to make sure they are weighted correctly in your current grade.

Benefits

There are many benefits to using a Final Exam Calculator.

1. Realistic Target

Knowing what grade you need will help you to set realistic targets.

2. Reduces Mistakes

Working out weighted grades can get confusing when there are multiple percentages. This makes it easier and quicker.

3. Helps Plan Study

You can plan your study around the subjects/topics you need to achieve a certain grade.

4. Track Progress

You can use this throughout the semester to help you understand how your current grades will impact your final grade.

5. Reduce Uncertainty

Knowing what grade you need will help reduce any uncertainty.

6. Useful for High School and College

This can be used for high school, undergrad and university courses as long as they use weighted grades.

7. Help with Decisions

You can use the results to talk to your teacher about your expected grades, extra credit and overall performance.

Accuracy

This tool will give you an estimate based on the details you enter. As long as you have the right current grade, final exam weighting and target grade it will be accurate.

Assumptions and Limitations

This tool assumes that your current grade includes all the work that contributes to your non-final grade.

• You need to enter the percentage your final exam is worth.
• It assumes that you are using a standard weighted grading system.
• Extra Credit, Bonus Points, Dropped Assignments and Grade Adjustments are not included automatically.
• You may need to work out individual weighted grades for different grading categories.
• Some teachers may mark using points.
• Your final grade may be affected by marking/rounding rules.
• This tool doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a certain grade.

For the most accurate estimate, check your syllabus and ensure you have the correct current grade and final exam weighting.

FAQs

1. What is a Final Exam Calculator?

A Final Exam Calculator is an online tool that can help you determine what grade you need to achieve on your final exam to receive a certain grade. It will take your current grade, final exam weighting and desired grade.

2. How do I work out what grade I need?

You need to subtract your current weighted grade from your target grade. Then divide it by your final exam weighting. For example, if your current grade is 80%, your final exam is worth 20% and you want to achieve a grade of 85%, you will need to achieve 105%.

3. Will I need to achieve more than 100% on my final exam?

If your result is over 100% then you won’t be able to achieve your desired grade. You may need to do extra credit, extra assignments or other grade adjustments.

4. Can I use this for college and high school?

Yes. As long as your course uses weighted grades this can be used for high school, college and university. Just ensure you have the correct current grade and weighting.

5. Does this include extra credit or assignment grades?

The basic calculator will not include extra credit, bonus points or individual assignment grades. It assumes that your current grade includes all the work you’ve done. Check with your teacher to see if there are any adjustments.