Find the score you need on your final exam to reach the course grade you want.
You'd need 110.0% on the final — above 100%, so this target isn't reachable without extra credit.
The formula
Final score = (desired grade − current grade × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight
Weight is the final exam's share of your overall grade, expressed as a fraction (a 20%-weighted final is 0.2).
Three numbers are all it takes: where your grade stands today, where you want it to land, and how much the final counts for.
Enter your current grade
This is everything before the final — homework, quizzes, midterms — averaged together as a percentage. Most schools' online portals show this as a running grade.
Enter the grade you want overall
A specific letter-grade cutoff (90% for an A−, for example), or whatever you're aiming for.
Enter the final exam's weight
Check your syllabus — instructors almost always list how much each component counts toward the overall grade.
Worked example
Sitting at an 88% overall, aiming for a 90%, with the final worth 30% of the grade: (90 − 88 × 0.7) ÷ 0.3 = 94.7% needed on the exam. Change the exam weight to 50% instead and the required score drops to 92% — a heavier final gives you more room to move the overall grade.
Check your course syllabus — instructors almost always list how much each component (homework, midterms, final exam) counts toward your overall grade, usually as a percentage.
Estimate it from your gradebook: average your scores so far, weighted by each assignment's share of the grade if your class uses that system. Many schools' online portals show a running current grade directly.
It means the target grade isn't reachable through the final exam alone under the given weighting — you'd need extra credit, a grade replacement policy, or a lower target to close the gap.
Yes — set the weight to 100 and the calculator will tell you that you need to score exactly your desired final grade on the exam, since nothing else factors in.
