How to use it
- Type your current grade from the school portal, decimals included. No overall grade posted yet? Work it out from your category scores in the weighted grade calculator; it can send the result here.
- Type the grade you want, or tap a letter.
- Type the final's weight from your syllabus. The box shows the score you need, the table every letter at once.
- After the exam, switch to I took the final and type your score.
Example: is an A still possible?
You have 84% going into finals week, and the final counts 20%. The other 80% is already decided: 84 × 0.8 = 67.2 points are banked.
To finish with a 90, the final has to add 90 − 67.2 = 22.8 points. Each percent you score on the final is worth 0.2 points of the course grade, so you would need 22.8 ÷ 0.2 = 114%. That is out of reach: a perfect final brings you to 87.2%, a B on the standard scale and a B+ on the plus-minus scale.
A B is different. It needs 80 − 67.2 = 12.8 points, so 12.8 ÷ 0.2 = 64% on the final. And the floor is 67.2%: even a zero would not take you below a D.
Score needed = (goal − current × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight
When the final sits inside the test category
Many teachers weight categories, for example Tests 40%, Homework 30% and Labs 30%, and count the final as one big test. If the final is half of the test category, it is 0.4 × 0.5 = 20% of the course, but the formula above now misleads: the final only moves your test average, not homework or labs.
Say your grade is 86% and your test average is 78%. Every point the final scores above 78 lifts the course by 0.2, so reaching 90 takes 78 + (90 − 86) ÷ 0.2 = 98%. The plain 20% formula would say 106% and call it impossible. Choose Inside a category under Advanced and add the category weight, the final's share and your test average.
Classes graded on total points
Some classes skip weights and add up points. Then the final's weight is its share of all points. With 438 of 480 points so far and a 120-point final, the class has 600 points. A 90% is 540 of them, so you need 540 − 438 = 102 points, which is 85% on the final. Choose Points under Advanced and type the three numbers.
After the final
Once the score is in, the second tab works the other way: current × (1 − weight) + final × weight. With 84% and a 91 on a 20% final, that is 67.2 + 18.2 = 85.4%, a B. The letter is shown without rounding; whether an 89.5 becomes an A is your teacher's call.
Final grade questions
How do I figure out what I need on my final?
Subtract your current grade times the part of the course that is not the final from the grade you want, then divide by the final's weight. With 84% now, a 20% final and a goal of 80%: (80 − 84 × 0.8) ÷ 0.2 = 64% on the final.
What does it mean if I need more than 100%?
That grade is out of reach through the final alone: even a perfect score leaves you below it. The calculator then shows the highest grade you can still get. Extra credit or a retake could change the picture, so ask your teacher what is still open before the exam.
How much can one final exam move my grade?
At most its weight. A final worth 20% can move an 84% anywhere between 67.2% (a zero) and 87.2% (a perfect score). The heavier the final, the wider that range, and the more one exam can lift or sink the course grade.
Should I type my exact grade or the rounded one?
The exact one from your gradebook. Any gap gets multiplied on the final: with a 20% final, typing 85% instead of 84.6% changes the score you need by 1.6 points. A small rounding in your current grade turns into a bigger error in the answer.
My final is part of the test category. Which weight do I use?
Multiply the category weight by the final's share of it: half of a 40% test category is 20% of the course. Then open Advanced, choose "Inside a category" and add your test average, because the final replaces part of that average, not part of your overall grade.
Where the letter lines come from
The buttons and the table use the standard 90/80/70/60 scale or the plus-minus scale (A from 93, A− 90, B+ 87 …), both on the grading scale page with the school policies they come from. If your syllabus differs, type the percent.
Turn the letter you end up with into grade points with the GPA calculator.