Grade calculator for weighted categories: your current course grade, and the score you need on the final exam or remaining work to reach a target.
By AdminDrafted with AI writing toolsUpdated Checked examples: 5
You have 84.42% (B) on the 60% of the course graded so far. To finish with 90% you need 98.38% on the remaining 40%; the final grade can land anywhere from 50.65% to 90.65%.
| Category | Course weight | Score | Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homework | 20 % | 92 % | 18.4 % |
| Quizzes | 15 % | 85 % | 12.75 % |
| Midterm | 25 % | 78 % | 19.5 % |
| Final exam | 40 % | — | — |
Letter B on the College Board bands (A 90+, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 65–69, F below 65).
The current grade is the weighted average of the categories already scored: each score times its weight, added up and divided by the weight graded so far. The score needed on the remaining work is (target × total weight − weighted points earned) ÷ weight still to come.
With the defaults (homework 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 15%, a midterm of 78 at 25% and a final exam worth 40%), the current grade is 84.42%, a B. Reaching 90% needs 98.38% on the final; scoring 0% or 100% on it would leave the course at 50.65% or 90.65%.
Letter grades follow the College Board's general scale (A 90 and above, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 65–69, F below 65); your syllabus may use other cut-offs or plus and minus grades. Weights that do not add up to 100 are treated as shares of their total.
Your current grade is each graded score times its weight, summed and divided by the weight graded so far. The score needed on the rest is (target × total weight − points earned) ÷ weight remaining. With 5,065 weighted points from 60% of the course, a 90% grade needs (9,000 − 5,065) ÷ 40 = 98.375% on the final.
Homework is 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 15% and the midterm 78 at 25%, with a final worth 40% still to come.
Dividing by 100 instead gives 50.65%. That is what you have banked toward the whole course, which is also your final grade if you score zero on the final.
With a final worth 40%, the needed score is (target × 100 − 5,065) ÷ 40:
Scoring 100% on the final would give 90.65%, and scoring zero would leave 50.65%. Any target above 90.65% is out of reach: a 95% needs 110.875%, which only extra credit could supply.
A result of zero or less means the target is already secured. A 50% target here needs −1.625%, so even a blank final reaches it, though a syllabus may still require you to sit the exam.
When several categories are still open, the result is the weighted average they need together. A stronger score in one can make up for a weaker one in another.
Weights only need to be right relative to each other. Labs worth 30 and an exam worth 30 add up to 60, so each is half the course. With labs at 90 and an 80% target, the exam needs (80 × 60 − 30 × 90) ÷ 30 = 70%.
Weights of 2, 3 and 5 work the same as 20, 30 and 50. If a category is missing from the list, though, the ones you entered are treated as the whole course and each counts for more than it should.
Letters use bands based on the College Board's general scale: A from 90%, B from 80%, C from 70%, D from 65% and F below 65%. Schools set their own cutoffs and plus or minus grades, so your syllabus takes precedence.
The letter uses the exact average. An average of 89.996% rounds to 90.00% at two decimals but is still a B. Some instructors round 89.5 up to an A; the bands here do not.
| Scenario | Current grade, % | Required remaining, % | Best final, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default | 84.416667 | 98.375000 | 90.650000 |
| All graded | 85.000000 | — | 85.000000 |
| Relative weights | 90.000000 | 70.000000 | 95.000000 |
| Points scores | 90.000000 | 70.000000 | 95.000000 |
| Target out of reach | 84.416667 | 110.875000 | 90.650000 |
Homework, 20, 92 as name, weight, score. Leave the score off, as in Final exam, 40, for work not graded yet.Final exam, 40, 0 counts as graded and drops the course to 50.65%.Midterm, 25, 45/50 is 90%, and the weight stays 25.For a grade point average across courses weighted by credits, use the GPA calculator. To rescale a whole class's scores, use the grade curve calculator, and to summarize them, the mean, median and mode calculator.
Checked against: (20×92 + 15×85 + 25×78)/60 = 84.4167; (90×100 − 5065)/40 = 98.375
Checked against: (95×100 − 5065)/40
Checked against: Hand calculation: (50×90 + 50×80)/100
Checked against: (80×60 − 30×90)/30 = 70
Multiply each score by its weight, add the results and divide by the total weight. Homework 92 at 20%, quizzes 85 at 15% and a midterm of 78 at 25% give (20 × 92 + 15 × 85 + 25 × 78) ÷ 60 = 5,065 ÷ 60 = 84.42%. Dividing by 60 rather than 100 gives the grade on the work marked so far.
Needed = (target × 100 − weighted points so far) ÷ final exam weight, with weights in percent. With 5,065 weighted points from 60% of the course and a final worth 40%, a 90% course grade needs (9,000 − 5,065) ÷ 40 = 98.38% on the final. A result above 100% means the target is out of reach without extra credit.
On the College Board's general scale an A is 90–100%, a B 80–89%, a C 70–79% and a D 66–69%, and anything below 65% is an F; the calculator counts exactly 65% as a D. Many schools add plus and minus grades or set different cut-offs, so check your syllabus.
Each weight is treated as its share of the total. Labs worth 30 and an exam worth 30 add up to 60, so each counts for half the course. With 90 in labs and the exam still to come, an 80 overall needs (80 × 60 − 30 × 90) ÷ 30 = 70 on the exam.
Yes. Type 45/50 and it is converted to 90%. A midterm of 45/50 and a project of 36/40 are both 90%, so with each worth 25% the current grade is 90%, and an 80% course grade needs 70% on a final worth the remaining 50%.
This calculator includes 5 worked examples with independently sourced answers. They run in the test suite, and you can run them here too.