Final Grade Calculator: What Grade Do I Need on my Final?
Are you wondering what grade you need to get on your final exam in order to get a certain grade in a course?
How can you calculate the final exam score you’ll need to get the grade you want in your college class?
Look no further! Use this final grade calculator to figure out what grade you need on your final exam to get the overall course grade you want!
This final grade calculator will determine the percentage grade you need to score on your final exam to get a certain grade in your class.
Calculate the final exam grade you need:
Final Grade Calculator
What you need to know to use this final grade calculator
To calculate the final exam grade needed to get a certain grade in your college class, you will need to know three things:
1. Your current course grade
What is your grade so far in this course? This grade will be based on homework, quizzes, tests, classwork, essays, and another other assignments–but NOT your final exam.
2. Your desired course grade
What grade do you want to get in this class? Use a numerical percentage grade, not a letter grade, as letter grade values vary between universities.
3. The weight of your final exam
What percentage of your final grade is your final exam? This will be listed on your course syllabus.
Calculator instructions
This list of steps will explain how to use the final exam calculator to determine what grade you need to earn on your final exam.
1. Course Grade
First, enter your current overall grade in the class. Your current class grade is based on how well you’ve done on other assignments so far in the class.
2. Desired Grade
Next, enter the target grade that you would like to get in the class.
3. Final Weight
Then, enter the final exam weight, or how much your final exam is worth. For example, the weight of the final exam could be worth anywhere from 50% to 10% of your final class grade.
4. Calculate
Finally, click the calculate button.The calculator will calculate the final exam grade you need in order to get the final course grade you want.
5. Reset
To calculate your final grade with a different desired course grade, click the reset button.
You can start your calculations with the minimum final grade you want to get in the class, then rerun the calculator to see what you’d need to get a better final grade.
You can also reset the final exam calculator to use it to calculate your final exam grades for other classes.
How does the Final Grade calculator work?
This easy, free final grade calculator lets you effortlessly determine what is the minimum grade you need to score on your college final exam to get the overall grade you want.
For college students who want to know how this final exam calculator works, it uses the following formula:
Goal Course Grade - Current Grade x Weight of Non-Final Grades / Weight of Final = Required Final Exam Grade
If you want to calculate your final exam grade, you could also use this formula:
Goal Course Grade - Current Grade x (100 - Weight of Final) / Weight of Final = Required Final Exam Grade
This calculator uses percentage grades, instead of letter grades, to calculate the final exam grade needed, because each college and university assigns a different value to letter grades.
Using a percentage grade calculator will give you a more accurate understanding of what grade you need on your final exam to get the grade you want.
Why should I calculate my final exam grade?
If you look at your syllabus for any college class, you’ll see that your final course grade is made up of many factors.
This will vary by class, but your total grade for a class could reflect scores you earned on homework assignments, class work, class discussions, quizzes, tests, essays, or a final exam.
Each category or each specific assignment will be worth a percentage of your overall grade.
Your overall current grade reflects how well you’ve done on small assignments, essays, and exams so far, but it doesn’t account for the weighted grade of your final exam.
Usually, your final exam is the most comprehensive (and most difficult) evaluation of what you’ve learned in the class.
While you’ll know how you did and what grade you received on your other assignments before the final exam, you won’t know your grade on your final exam until the very end of the semester.
That means that when your grade is calculated during the semester, all the other categories or assignments appear to have more weight than they actually will when the final exam score is factored into your final class grade.
At the end of the semester, whatever grade you get on your final exam will be used to calculate your final class grade. Because the final exam often carries a lot of weight towards the final grade, what you score on the final exam can dramatically change your grade in the class.
Using the College Everything final exam grade calculator will let you calculate what exam grade is needed to get the score you want in your college class.
Why is it helpful to calculate the exam grade I need?
Maybe you’re desperately wondering, “What grade do I need on my final to pass this class?” Because of course you want to get good grades to pass all of your college classes!
Maybe you aren’t worried about passing the class. Instead, you're asking, "What grade do I need to get an A in this class?" You might just want a great grade.
Or, you might need to get a certain grade to maintain or improve your GPA. This is especially important when scholarship money is on the line.
Don’t worry–we’ve all been there!
Pretty much every college student has wondered how they will manage to pass a certain college class!
So, it’s very helpful to be able to calculate the final exam grade you need so you know how much you need to study for a certain final.
Here are great reasons why you should calculate the exam grade needed to get the class grade you want.
1. Goal setting
Understanding the required final exam grade will give you a concrete goal to work for. Knowing what your goal grade is can boost your motivation.
2. Allocating time and energy
Knowing the grade you need on the final exam will allow you to decide how to use your time and energy effectively.
You’ll know which classes you need to focus on the most to achieve your desired grades. Focusing your studying can help you study more efficiently and strategically. Knowing how you study best will help too.
For example, if you need to get a really high score on your final, you will need to devote a lot of time to studying for that final exam.
If you have done really well on previous tests, assignments, or essays, and your final exam grade isn’t a big part of your final class grade, then maybe you don’t have to study as much for that class final.
3. Reduced anxiety
The uncertainty of not knowing if you can pass a class or what your final grade could be can be very stressful! On the other hand, knowing the grade you need to achieve can help you plan your study schedule and feel more in control of your final exams.
4. Realistic expectations
Understanding what grade you need on your final exam can help you set realistic expectations.
By calculating the grade you need on your final exam, you’ll know how hard you’ll have to work to get the grade you want.
If you’d need to get such a high grade on the final exam that it’s not mathematically possible to get the final grade you want, then you may need to consider dropping the class. If so, check with your advisor about college policies and drop dates you need to know before making a decision.
What if I need to get over 100% on my final exam?
If the final exam calculator tells you that you need to score more than 100% on your final exam to get the grade you want in the class, that's not good news. Here are some options:
1. Try to bring up your current overall grade
Ask your professor if there are any opportunities for extra credit or if you can retake or resubmit earlier assignments. (They may say no, but you can ask.)
2. Submit missing or late assignments
If it's not too late to submit any missing assignments, turn them in right away. That will help you get maximize the total points you can earn for each smaller assignment.
Some professors have strict policies about not accepting late work, so check your syllabus.
3. Get help
Go to office hours or tutoring sessions for help. Go to any review sessions that your professor or TA offers.
4. Study, study, study
Be sure you understand the material covered on the final. Study thoroughly for the final exam.
5. Adjust your expectations
Finally, if you need a very high score on your final to get the class grade you want, you may need to adjust your expectations. Maybe the exam will be graded on a curve??
What grade do I need to get to pass my class?
Each university in the United States sets its own grading system policies. So, colleges have different policies regarding what is a passing grade and what is the minimum grade required for a course to count as a prerequisite.
Generally, a D is considered a passing grade. This is a final percentage score of 60% to 69.9%. However, you don’t want to have many (if any) Ds on your transcript!
Often, the minimum grade to earn in a course for that course to fulfill a prerequisite and allow you to move up to the next level of courses is a C. That’s a final percentage score of 70% to 79.9%.
Remember the saying, "Cs get degrees."
What grade do I need to keep my scholarship?
The answer to this varies by college and also by scholarship.
Some university scholarship awards require that a student maintain a 3.0, or a B average grade. Some require higher or lower grade point averages.
Check the information on your scholarship award to find out what your grade point values your scholarship award requires.
Can I use this Final Grade calculator if I’m in high school?
Of course! This calculator will calculate high school final exam grades or college final exam grades.
As long as you know your current course grade, your desired course grade, and the percentage weight of your final exam, this calculator will tell you what you need to earn on your final exam.
Final thoughts on calculating your final exam grade
As a semester of college draws to a close and the anticipation of final exams looms, college students often wonder:
What grade do I need on my final exam to get the grade I want in this course?
Calculating the final exam grade necessary to get the class grade desired can transform how students prepare for finals. The final exam calculator is useful, whether you're trying to pass math or get an amazing grade on an English paper.
Knowing what you need on a final exam can offer a roadmap to success. You can plan a better way to study that lets you focus on the classes where you need to earn the max grade possible on the final.
The simple final exam grade calculator provided here is a powerful tool to help you get motivated, plan your study strategies, and manage stress.
Once you've taken your final exam and gotten your final grade from your professor, you can calculate your final overall course grade.
Good luck on your final exams!
