What Grade Do I Need?

What does this calculator do?

This calculator works backward from your target final grade. It combines your current average with the share of the course already completed, then solves for the average you need across everything that is still ungraded.

It is useful when you are asking questions such as “What grade do I need on my final?” or “What average do I need on the remaining assignments?” It does not calculate GPA, convert letter grades, or manage individual assignments.

How to calculate the grade you need

Enter your current grade as a percentage, the percentage of the course that is already completed, and the overall final grade you want. The calculator automatically treats the rest of the course as the remaining weight.

For example, if your final exam is the only work left and it is worth 30% of the course, enter 70% as the completed course weight.

Formula

The final grade is the weighted contribution from completed work plus the weighted contribution from remaining work:

Final grade = Current grade × (Completed weight ÷ 100) + Needed grade × (Remaining weight ÷ 100)

When the weights are written as percentages out of 100, the required grade is:

Needed grade = (100 × Target grade − Current grade × Completed weight) ÷ (100 − Completed weight)

The calculation uses full precision internally. Rounding is applied only when the result is displayed.

Worked example

Suppose your current grade is 82%, 70% of the course is complete, and you want an 85% final grade. The remaining weight is 30%.

Your completed work contributes 57.4 percentage points to the final grade: 82 × 0.70 = 57.4. You still need 27.6 points to reach 85. Dividing 27.6 by the remaining 0.30 gives 92. You therefore need a 92% average on the remaining 30%.

What if the required grade is over 100%?

A result above 100% is mathematically unachievable on a standard 0–100% scale. The calculator reports this as an unachievable target rather than an input error and shows the highest final grade still possible. Extra credit or a grading-policy change can alter the real-world situation, but those are outside this calculation.

What if I already have enough to reach my target?

If the weighted contribution from your completed work already reaches the target by itself, the minimum needed on the remaining work is 0%. In that case, the calculator reports that no minimum score is needed instead of showing a negative required grade.

Current grade vs. final grade

Your current grade is the average you have earned on the work represented by the completed weight. Your final grade includes both that completed portion and everything still remaining. This distinction matters because an 82% current grade does not contribute 82 points to the final course grade when only part of the course has been completed.

Common mistakes

• Entering the remaining weight instead of the completed weight.
• Using a simple average when your course uses weighted categories.
• Mixing percentage grades with points, GPA values, or letter grades.
• Using an LMS “current grade” that already counts future missing work as zero. Check how your course system defines its displayed grade.