Exams are stressful, and not knowing what you need makes it worse. The good news: the math is simple. Try it with our final grade calculator, or follow the steps below.
The formula
Your final grade is a weighted average of your current grade and your exam score:
Final grade = current grade x (1 – exam weight) + exam score x exam weight
Rearranged to find the score you need:
Needed exam score = (target – current x (1 – weight)) / weight
Example 1
Current grade 78%, final worth 40%, target 80%: (80 – 78 x 0.6) / 0.4 = 33.2 / 0.4 = 83%.
Example 2: just passing
Current grade 45%, final worth 30%, target 50%: (50 – 45 x 0.7) / 0.3 = 18.5 / 0.3 = 61.7%. Very doable.
Example 3: an impossible target
Current grade 70%, final worth 20%, target 90%: (90 – 56) / 0.2 = 170%. You cannot reach 90% with the final alone, so focus on a realistic goal.
How to find your current grade
If your portal does not show it, multiply each mark by its weight and divide by the total weight completed so far. For example, assignments worth 30% averaging 80% and a midterm worth 30% at 70% give (80 x 30 + 70 x 30) / 60 = 75%.
Study smarter with the number
- If you need 60%, focus on core concepts and easy marks.
- If you need 85% or more, practise past exams under timed conditions.
- Ask your teacher about bonus work, rewrites or dropped quizzes.
Also useful: our GPA calculator and average calculator.