Students · PRACTICAL GUIDE

What Grade Do I Need on My Final Exam?

A final exam target is easier to plan when you separate your completed coursework from the remaining exam. You need your current non-final grade, the final exam’s percentage weight and your desired overall grade.

The calculation

Required exam score = (target grade − current grade × (1 − exam weight)) ÷ exam weight. Enter the weight as a fraction for manual calculation: 30% becomes 0.30. With a current grade of 80, a target of 85 and a 30% final, the calculation is (85 − 56) ÷ 0.30 = 96.6667%.

Interpret the result

A required score above 100 means the target cannot be reached within this model. A negative result means the target is already met even with a zero on the exam, assuming no separate passing requirement. Neither result changes your school’s policies.

Avoid a common mistake

Use the grade for completed coursework, not a portal total that already includes an uncompleted exam as zero. Check whether the portal reports weighted or unweighted scores. These two inputs can look similar but produce different targets.

Written for Global Tools Hub · Reviewed 11 November 2026