How The Final Grade Is Calculated
Calculating the score you need on a final exam involves a bit of weighted average algebra. The overall grade in a course is determined by the grades you've received on assignments and exams, each contributing a certain percentage (weight) to the final total.
The Formula
Let's break down the formula used by the calculator:
Required Score = [ Desired Grade - (Current Grade × (1 - Final Weight)) ] / Final Weight
Where:
- Desired Grade is the overall percentage you want to achieve in the class.
- Current Grade is your current average percentage before the final exam.
- Final Weight is the percentage that the final exam is worth (e.g., 20% is entered as 20, and the calculator converts it to 0.20 for the formula).
This formula essentially determines how many points you still need to earn from the final exam to reach your goal, and then expresses that as the percentage score required on that exam.
Important: If the result is over 100%, it may be impossible to achieve your desired grade. If it's below 0%, you've already achieved your desired grade regardless of your final exam score!