How the calculation works
Your course grade is a weighted average. Everything you have done so far counts for (1 − weight) of the course, and the final exam counts for the rest. If your current grade is C and the final is worth W of the course, your final grade after scoring S on the exam is:
Setting the final grade equal to your target T and solving for S gives the formula at the top of this page. Nothing is hidden: the calculator uses exactly that equation, with the weight converted from a percentage to a fraction.
A worked example
You are going into the final with an 82%. The final is worth 25% of the course and you want an 85% overall. Your current work banks 82 × 0.75 = 61.5 points of the course grade, leaving 85 − 61.5 = 23.5 points that must come from the final. Divide by the final's weight: 23.5 ÷ 0.25 = 94%. Score 94% or better on the final and the 85% is yours.
Reading the answer honestly
A needed score above 100% means the target cannot be reached at this exam weight — not "study harder", just arithmetic. The calculator says so instead of pretending otherwise, and the ladder shows which letter grades are still available. A needed score at or below 0% means the opposite: your target is already secured even with a zero on the exam, because your current grade banked enough points. Both answers are worth knowing before exam week, not after it.
Two things this calculator does not model: curves (if your teacher curves the final or the course, the effective cut-offs move) and replacement policies (a final that replaces your lowest test changes two things at once — the closest estimate is to recompute your current grade with that test removed first). Rounding also varies: some schools round 89.5 up to an A−, others do not.
Frequently asked questions
What if the score I need is over 100%?
Then that target grade is not reachable with this exam weight, even with a perfect paper. The most the final can add is its weight in points — a final worth 20% can raise your course grade by at most 20 points over scoring zero. Pick the highest letter grade in the ladder that still shows "Reachable" and aim there instead.
What does my current grade mean if some work is not graded yet?
"Current grade" should be your average on everything except the final, weighted the way your course weights it. If other assignments are still outstanding alongside the final, fold them into one of the two numbers: either treat them as part of your current grade at their expected scores, or add their weight to the exam's weight and use the score you expect across all of it. The weighted grade calculator handles the multi-category case properly.
Can I use this for a midterm or a project instead of a final?
Yes — the maths does not care what the component is called. Enter your grade excluding that component, set the weight to that component's weight, and the answer is the score you need on it. There is a midterm version with the same engine.
Does a needed score of exactly my target mean I finish at my target?
Yes, by construction: the formula solves for the exam score that lands your weighted average exactly on the target. Score one point more and you finish above it.
Why does this site use 93 for an A?
The ladder uses the common US scale with +/− bands: A = 93, A− = 90, B+ = 87, B = 83 and so on. Many schools use a plain scale where an A starts at 90. If yours does, type 90 as your target — the calculator works with any target you enter. The full scale is on the letter grade scale page.