Why use this calculator
Before a final it helps to know exactly what you are aiming for. If you need 62 per cent to keep a Distinction, you can spread your study time across other courses; if you need 101 per cent, the target has gone and a lower one should drive your plan.
Doing the sum in your head goes wrong because the current mark and the exam are weighted differently, and because a syllabus rarely lays it out neatly. This calculator does the weighted sum, tells you whether the target is achievable, shows the best and worst course grade you can still finish on, and lists the course grade for each exam score, so you know how much margin you have.
How to use it
- Enter your current mark, the average across the assessed work so far, which you can find in your course site or gradebook.
- Enter the weight of that completed work as a percentage of the whole course from the syllabus or unit outline, for example 70 if assignments and midterm are worth 70 per cent.
- Enter your target course grade, such as 85 for a High Distinction at many Australian universities or 90 for an A in the United States. Enter the final exam weight from the syllabus.
- If the two weights do not add up to 100, the result is worked out over the weights you enter and flagged.
What each result means
- Grade needed on the final
- The minimum mark on the final exam that lifts your course grade to the target. Anything above 100 per cent means it cannot be done.
- Can you still reach it?
- Whether the target is achievable, out of reach, or already secured no matter how the exam goes.
- Each final exam mark is worth
- How much one percentage point on the final moves your overall course grade, set by the final's share of the weights, so you can judge what extra study is worth.
- Marks already banked
- Course marks earned so far out of the full 100, which you keep whatever happens in the exam.
- Course grade with 100% on the final
- The highest course grade still possible. If it is below your target, choose a lower one.
- Course grade with 0% on the final
- The course grade if you score nothing on the exam. Many courses also have a separate minimum exam mark to pass, so check your syllabus.
- Weights entered add up to
- The current and final weights added together. Anything other than 100 per cent usually means a graded component has been missed.
The formula
Needed final mark = (target x (current weight + final weight) - current mark x current weight) / final weight
When the weights add up to 100, this is the familiar (target - current mark x current weight / 100) / (final weight / 100).
Marks banked = current mark x current weight / 100
Best course grade = (current mark x current weight + 100 x final weight) / (current weight + final weight)
Worst course grade = current mark x current weight / (current weight + final weight)
A needed mark above 100 per cent means the target cannot be reached.
How this number is used in practice
Grade cut-offs differ by country and institution, so set the target from your own course. Many US colleges use 90 per cent for an A, 80 for a B, 70 for a C and 60 for a D, though plus and minus bands vary. Many Australian universities award a High Distinction from 85, a Distinction from 75, a Credit from 65 and a Pass from 50.
UK degree marks work differently again, with 70 per cent a first, 60 an upper second, 50 a lower second and 40 a third.
Check the syllabus for hurdle requirements before relying on the needed mark. Many courses require a minimum exam score, often 40 or 50 per cent, to pass the course regardless of the overall mark, and some cap the grade if a hurdle is missed. Late penalties, scaling and moderation can also move a final grade, and a mark shown in a learning system may not yet include every weighting.
Used well, the number shapes your revision plan. If you need 45 per cent in one course and 80 in another, time is better spent on the second. If the target is out of reach, working to the next grade band down is still worth doing, and the table of exam scores shows exactly which band each result lands in.
Worked examples
Current mark 85% on work worth 70%, aiming for 90% with a final worth 30%
Needs 101.67% on the final, so 90% is out of reach; the best possible course grade is 89.50%
Current mark 92% on work worth 70%, aiming for 90% with a final worth 30%
Needs 85.33% on the final, with 64.40% of the course already banked
Current mark 58% on work worth 60%, aiming for a 50% pass with a final worth 40%
Needs only 38.00% on the final to pass, and the worst possible course grade is 34.80%
When people use it
- Finding the exam mark needed to keep an A, a Distinction or a pass
- Deciding how to split study time between several finals
- Checking whether a scholarship or program grade requirement is still achievable
- Seeing the worst case before deciding whether to sit a deferred exam
- Planning for a midterm by treating it as the next weighted assessment
Tips
- Take the weights from the official syllabus or unit outline, not memory. A 10 point error in the weight changes the answer a lot.
- Check for a minimum exam mark to pass. It overrides a comfortable overall average.
- If the needed mark is above 100 per cent, look at the table to see which grade band you can still reach.
- Make sure your current mark already includes every piece of graded work returned so far.
- Aim a few points above the needed mark to allow for harsh marking on the day.
- For several remaining assessments, run the calculator in stages, treating each next piece as the final.
What it assumes, and where it stops being accurate
- Your current mark is a weighted average of all work completed, as your gradebook reports it.
- The final exam is the only remaining assessment. If other work is still to come, include it in the final weight at your expected mark or work it through in stages.
- When the weights do not add up to 100 per cent, the course grade is worked out over the weights entered only.
- Hurdle requirements, scaling, moderation, bonus marks and rounding rules are not applied.
- Current marks above 100 per cent are allowed up to 120 per cent to cover bonus or extra credit work.
Terms used on this page
- Weight
- The share of the course grade an assessment is worth, set in the syllabus.
- Weighted average
- An average where each mark counts in proportion to its weight rather than equally.
- Hurdle requirement
- A minimum mark on a specific assessment, often the exam, needed to pass regardless of the overall grade.
- Scaling
- An adjustment to raw marks after marking, used to keep grade distributions consistent.
Questions people ask
- What if my weights do not add up to 100 per cent?
- Usually a graded component, such as participation or a lab, has been missed. Add it to the current weight if it is already marked, or to the final weight if it is still to come. If you leave the gap, this calculator works the grade out over the weights you entered and flags the total.
- What does it mean if I need more than 100 per cent?
- The target can no longer be reached, even with a perfect exam, because the marks already lost on earlier work are too many to recover. The best possible course grade is shown, and the table shows which grade band each exam score reaches, so set the next band down as your goal.
- Can I use this for a midterm?
- Yes. Enter your mark on the work done so far and its weight, then the midterm's weight as the final weight. Set the target to the running average you want after the midterm, keeping in mind that later assessments will still change the course grade.
- What mark counts as an A or a High Distinction?
- It depends on the institution. Many US colleges give an A from 90 per cent, and many Australian universities award a High Distinction from 85, a Distinction from 75, a Credit from 65 and a Pass from 50. Check the grading policy for your course before setting the target.
- Why might my real result differ from the calculator?
- Marks can be scaled or moderated after the exam, some courses round the final grade, and many have hurdle requirements that apply regardless of the overall mark. The calculator uses plain weighted arithmetic, so treat the answer as a target and check any special rules in the syllabus.
Use this with
Final Grade Calculator answers one part of the question. These pick up where it stops: GPA Calculator, Percentage Calculator, Mean, Median, Mode Calculator and Z-Score Calculator.
Where these figures come from
This calculation is jurisdiction-neutral arithmetic. No country-specific rules are applied.
- UCAS. UK degree classification bands
- Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. Australian higher education standards, including assessment
- College Board. US grading conventions and letter grade bands
Final Grade Calculator produces an estimate for general information. It is not financial, tax, medical, legal or engineering advice. read the full disclaimer. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it gets fixed. The form picks up this calculator and the inputs you used.