Grade Calculator
Work out your current course grade from weighted categories and the score you need on the final exam to reach a target grade.
This is within reach on a 100-point exam.
Updated Formula covered by automated tests
A course grade is rarely a plain average. Most syllabi split the grade into categories such as homework, quizzes, labs, a midterm and a final exam, and give each category a share of the total. Enter each category with its weight and your average in it, leave ungraded categories blank, and the calculator shows where you stand right now and how much each part is pulling your grade up or down.
The second half answers the question students ask most in the last weeks of a term: what score do I need on the final to finish with a B, or to keep my A? Give the weight of the final and the course grade you are aiming for, and you get the exact exam percentage required, including a clear message when the target is already locked in or is out of reach without extra credit.
If your instructor posts raw points rather than category averages, total the points you earned and the points possible inside each category first. A category average is total earned divided by total possible, which is not the same as averaging the percentages of individual assignments when they are worth different numbers of points.
The formula
- wᵢ
- Weight of category i as listed in the syllabus, in percent of the course grade
- sᵢ
- Your average score in category i, in percent
- G
- Your current grade over everything graded so far, in percent
- T
- The final course grade you want, in percent
- f
- Weight of the final exam as a decimal (a 40% final gives f = 0.40)
- F
- The score you earn on the final, in percent
The current grade divides by the weights of graded categories rather than by 100. Halfway through a term only part of the course has been assessed, and dividing by the full 100 would make every student look like they are failing. Renormalizing by the graded weight is what most online gradebooks do when they report a running grade, so this number should match your learning management system if the weights are entered the same way.
The required-final formula comes from solving the grade-after-final equation for F. Everything except the final keeps its current average and together counts for (1 − f) of the course; the final fills the remaining f. Setting the result equal to your target T and rearranging gives the expression above. It assumes every other category is complete, so if homework or quizzes are still coming, the answer is an estimate based on your average holding steady.
Worked example
Priya’s statistics syllabus weights homework 20%, quizzes 15%, the midterm 25% and the final exam 40%. Before the final she has 92 in homework, 85 in quizzes and 78 on the midterm. She wants to know her current grade and what she needs on the final for at least an 80 (a B-) or a 90 (an A-).
- 1 Multiply each graded category by its weight: 20 × 92 = 1840, 15 × 85 = 1275, 25 × 78 = 1950.
- 2 Add them and divide by the graded weight: (1840 + 1275 + 1950) ÷ 60 = 5065 ÷ 60 = 84.42%.
- 3 Work out what the non-final work is worth toward the course: 84.42 × (1 − 0.40) = 50.65 points.
- 4 For an 80: (80 − 50.65) ÷ 0.40 = 29.35 ÷ 0.40 = 73.4% needed on the final.
- 5 For a 90: (90 − 50.65) ÷ 0.40 = 39.35 ÷ 0.40 = 98.4% needed on the final.
Result: Priya is at 84.4% going into the exam. A 73.4% on the final secures the B-, while the A- needs 98.4%, which is possible but leaves almost no room for error.
Before you rely on the result
- The required-final figure assumes all other categories are finished. If more homework or quizzes are due, your average in them can still move, and so will the number you need.
- Instructors can curve, drop scores, round, or apply minimum-score rules that this tool cannot see. Your syllabus and your instructor have the final word.
- The letter attached to a percentage depends on your school’s scale; use the percentage-to-grade tool with your own cutoffs if you are unsure where the boundaries sit.
Frequently asked questions
My category weights add up to more or less than 100%. Is that a problem?
Not for the math, because the current grade divides by the sum of the weights you entered. It usually means a typo or a category you forgot, though, so compare the list with your syllabus. Some courses also drop the lowest quiz or let a final replace a midterm; apply those rules to the category averages before entering them.
Why does the calculator say I need more than 100% on the final?
Your target is higher than the best possible outcome with your current average. Even a perfect final cannot lift the course grade that far, so the realistic options are extra credit, a regrade on earlier work, or a lower target. Try the next letter down to see what is within reach.
What does a negative required score mean?
It means your target is already guaranteed: even a zero on the final would leave you at or above it. Check the syllabus first, since many courses require a minimum score on the final or attendance at it to pass regardless of the weighted total.
Should I average my assignment percentages or my points?
Use points when assignments in a category carry different point values. Scoring 9 of 10 and 40 of 50 gives 49 of 60, or 81.7%, whereas averaging 90% and 80% gives 85%. The point total is what a gradebook uses unless the syllabus says each assignment counts equally.