How this instrument works
Final Grade blends two numbers into one overall course result: your current grade (everything scored before the final) and your final exam score, each multiplied by the percentage weight your syllabus assigns it. A student sitting at 85% before the final, with the final worth 30% of the course and the rest of the term worth 70%, ends the course at 85 x 0.70 + 90 x 0.30 = 59.5 + 27.0 = 86.5%, assuming a 90% on the final exam.
The two weights should add up to 100% between them, since together they're meant to represent the entire course. Check your syllabus for the exact split — a common pattern is a final exam worth 20-30% of the total score with everything else (homework, quizzes, midterms, participation) folding into the 'current grade' weight, but the exact numbers vary widely by class and instructor.
If your syllabus instead breaks the course into more than two weighted categories — homework, midterms and a final exam, say, each with its own percentage — this two-input model won't capture that structure directly. This site's semester grade calculator accepts up to three separately weighted components instead of assuming a single 'current grade' bucket plus one final.
- Enter your current grade in the course, as a percentage, into Current grade.
- Enter how much that current grade counts toward your final course grade into Current grade weight, as a percentage.
- Enter your final exam grade (actual or hypothetical) into Final exam grade.
- Enter the final exam's weight into Final exam weight — the two weights should add up to 100%.
- Overall course grade updates automatically as the weighted combination of both grades.
- Try different hypothetical final exam grades to see what score you'd need to hit a target overall grade.
Worked example — an 85% current grade, 90% on the final
Enter 85 for Current grade with a weight of 70%, and 90 for Final exam grade with a weight of 30%. The current entry contributes 85 x 0.70 = 59.5 points, and the final exam contributes 90 x 0.30 = 27.0 points. Overall course grade reads 59.5 + 27.0 = 86.5%.
The final exam, worth less than a third of the course, still moves the result up from 85% to 86.5% because 90% is meaningfully higher than the 85% running average — swap in a lower final exam score and the same formula would pull the overall figure down instead, in proportion to that 30% weight.
Questions
How is my final course grade calculated from my current grade and exam?
Multiply your current grade by its weight, multiply your final exam score by its weight, and add the two results together. At an 85% running average weighted 70% and 90% on the final weighted 30%, that's (85 x 0.70) + (90 x 0.30) = 59.5 + 27.0 = 86.5%. The two weights should sum to 100%, since together they represent the entire course.
What weight should I use for the final exam?
Whatever your syllabus states — final exam weights commonly range from about 15% to 30% of the total course score, but instructors set this individually, so check your specific syllabus or course policy document rather than assuming a standard figure. The remaining weight (100% minus the final's weight) goes into the Current grade weight field.
What final exam score do I need to reach a target overall grade?
Rearrange the formula to solve for the final exam score: F = (Target overall - Current grade x w(C)/100) / (w(F)/100). Plug in your current grade, both weights, and the overall percentage you're aiming for, and the result tells you the final exam score needed — useful for figuring out the minimum score that keeps you above a specific letter-grade cutoff.
What if my two weights don't add up to 100%?
The formula still computes a number, but it may not represent a true percentage of the whole course unless the weights actually sum to 100. Double-check your syllabus — if it lists more than two graded categories (for example, homework, midterms and a final separately), you'll get a more accurate result from a calculator built for three or more weighted components instead of this two-input model.
Can I use this to test 'what do I need on the final' scenarios?
Yes — enter your real current grade and its weight, then try different hypothetical values in Final exam grade to see how each one changes your overall course result. It's a quick way to see, for instance, whether a 75% versus a 90% on the final makes the difference between two letter grades, without doing the weighted arithmetic by hand each time.