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Final Grade Calculator
Find the exact score you need on your final exam to reach your target course grade.
StudentsYou need 98.0% on the remaining work to finish at 90%. A perfect score would give you 90.4%.
This is the calculation students run more than any other in December and May: given the grade you have now, the grade you want, and how much the final exam counts, what do you need to score on the final? The calculator solves that equation exactly, tells you plainly if the target is out of reach, and shows the best course grade still available if you score 100% on the final.
How to use the Final Grade Calculator
- Enter your current course grade as a percentage.
- Enter the course grade you are aiming for.
- Enter how much the final exam is worth, as a percentage of the course grade.
- Read the score you need, and the best grade still possible.
Formula
Final Weight is expressed as a decimal, so a final worth 20% of the course grade uses 0.20. Current Grade is your course average before the final exam.
Worked example
Your current grade is 88%, you want a 90% course grade, and the final is worth 20%. Score needed = (90 - 88 x 0.80) / 0.20 = (90 - 70.4) / 0.20 = 98%. You need a 98% on the final. If the target were 92%, the answer would be 108%, which is impossible, and the calculator flags that and shows your ceiling: a perfect final would give you 90.4%.
Good to know
The weight of the final changes everything. When the final counts for only 10%, your course grade is mostly decided already, and even a perfect paper moves it by a few points. When it counts for 40%, a strong final can lift a course grade by a full letter. Before you panic about a needed score above 100%, check two things: whether your syllabus drops the lowest test score, and whether your current grade in the portal already includes assignments that have not been graded yet. Both change the real number.
US grading scale reference
The table below is the US plus/minus scale used across this site. Where this tool offers other scales, the Canadian scale sets an A from 85% with a pass at 50%, and the Australian scale uses the bands HD (85%+), D (75-84%), C (65-74%), P (50-64%) and F (below 50%) on a 7.0 GPA.
| Letter grade | Percentage | GPA points |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97–100% | 4.0 |
| A | 93–96% | 4.0 |
| A- | 90–92% | 3.7 |
| B+ | 87–89% | 3.3 |
| B | 83–86% | 3.0 |
| B- | 80–82% | 2.7 |
| C+ | 77–79% | 2.3 |
| C | 73–76% | 2.0 |
| C- | 70–72% | 1.7 |
| D+ | 67–69% | 1.3 |
| D | 63–66% | 1.0 |
| D- | 60–62% | 0.7 |
| F | 0–59% | 0.0 |
Frequently asked questions
What do I need on my final to get an A?
Enter your current grade, set the target to 90 (or 93 if your school sets the A boundary there), and enter the final exam weight from your syllabus. The calculator returns the exact percentage required.
What if the calculator says I need more than 100%?
That target cannot be reached through the final alone. The calculator then shows the highest course grade a perfect final would give you, which is the number to plan around, or a reason to ask about extra credit.
How do I find my final exam weight?
It is listed in the course syllabus, usually in a grading breakdown table. If the final is described as one of five equal tests, its weight is 20%.
Can this calculator use letter grades?
Convert your current letter grade to the middle of its percentage band first, for example a B+ as 88%, then run the calculation. The answer is an estimate because letter bands cover a range.
What score do I need just to pass?
Set the target to your passing boundary, commonly 60% in the US or 50% in Canada and Australia, and the calculator shows the minimum final score that keeps you at or above it.
Go deeper
Prefer the full walkthrough? Read our guide: How to Calculate Your Final Grade — it explains the method step by step with more worked examples.
Sources & further reading
- College Board BigFuture — How to Calculate Your GPA on a 4.0 Scale — The most widely cited US reference for letter-grade to 4.0-scale conversion.
- Khan Academy — free lessons and practice — Free study material for the subjects behind the grades.
Related tools
Last reviewed: November 2026. Results from this calculator are estimates based on the published scales above; your school's recorded grade is the official one.