✅ Step 1: Find out your current grade

Before anything else, you need to know where you stand right now. This means calculating the grade you’ve earned so far—before the final exam.

• Quizzes
• Homework
• Midterms
• Participation
• Projects

Add them all together using whatever system your teacher or LMS (like Canvas or Google Classroom) shows. If your course already tells you your current average (say, 82%), then great—just use that. Otherwise, you’ll need to calculate a weighted average. Example:

• Homework (30% of grade): 90%
• Midterm (50%): 75%
• Quizzes (20%): 80%

You’d multiply each by its weight and add them up. That’s your current grade.

✅ Step 2: Enter how much your current grade counts

Next, enter the weight of all the work you’ve already completed. This is often around 80%, depending on your syllabus. If the final exam is worth 20%, the rest of the coursework must be 80%. Important: Your Current Grade Weight + Final Exam Weight = 100%. If not, your numbers are off—or maybe the final grade is curved. Either way, double-check your syllabus.

✅ Step 3: Enter the final exam’s weight

This is the percentage of your course grade that the final exam represents. Common values are:

• 20% for most high school courses
• 30–40% in some college STEM courses
• 10% in project-heavy or writing-based courses

Your final is worth 25% of the total grade. Enter 25 in the Final Weight field.

✅ Step 4: Set your goal – enter your desired final grade

This is where you tell the calculator what you’re aiming for. Want to end the class with a B+? That’s around 87%. Want an A? That’s typically 90% or higher. This is the number the calculator will work backwards from to tell you what you need on your final.

✅ Step 5: Press calculate – see the score you’ll need

Click the “Calculate” button. The tool will show you what you need to score on your final exam to reach the course grade you entered in step 4.

• Required grade on final: 78% – Totally doable.
• Required grade on final: 96% – Tough, but possible.
• Required grade on final: 112% – Ouch. Not possible. It is time to aim lower or ask your instructor about extra credit.

✅ The Formula Behind the Calculator

And yes, everything in this formula is in percentage form. So 85% becomes 85, not 0.85. Example:

• You currently have 82%
• Your coursework is worth 80%
• The final is worth 20%
• You want to end with an 85%

Required Grade = (85 − (82 × 0.8)) / 0.2 = (85 − 65.6) / 0.2 = 19.4 / 0.2 = 97%

So, you’d need to score 97% on the final to reach 85% overall. If that feels high, you’re not alone—but at least now you know.

✅ What the Result Tells You

• Below 50% needed? You’re probably already safe.
• 60–85% needed? Focus, but it’s manageable.
• 90%+ needed? It’s time to get serious—or think about a backup plan.
• Over 100%? That goal may not be realistic without extra credit or grading curves.

✅ Final Tips

• Double-check your weights—this is the most common place students mess up.
• Use decimal points for better accuracy (e.g., 79.5 instead of 80).
• Use a GPA-based calculator if your school uses GPA points instead of percentages.