Final exam worth 35%: what score do I need?
If your final is worth 35% of your grade and you have a 78% going in, you need 83.72% on the final to finish with 80%. Full table for every current grade and target.
Each final-exam point is worth 0.35 course-grade points. Assumes the final is the only remaining grade.
| Current grade | Target 60% | Target 70% | Target 80% | Target 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 78.58% | 107.15% | 135.72% | 164.29% |
| 55% | 69.29% | 97.86% | 126.43% | 155.00% |
| 60% | 60.00% | 88.58% | 117.15% | 145.72% |
| 65% | 50.72% | 79.29% | 107.86% | 136.43% |
| 70% | 41.43% | 70.00% | 98.58% | 127.15% |
| 75% | 32.15% | 60.72% | 89.29% | 117.86% |
| 80% | 22.86% | 51.43% | 80.00% | 108.58% |
| 85% | 13.58% | 42.15% | 70.72% | 99.29% |
| 90% | 4.29% | 32.86% | 61.43% | 90.00% |
| 95% | 0% | 23.58% | 52.15% | 80.72% |
| 100% | 0% | 14.29% | 42.86% | 71.43% |
above 100% (not reachable without extra credit) · 90% or higher · already secured
What a 35% final means
The rest of your course, 65% of the grade, is already locked in. Your current grade carries 1.86 times the weight of the final. A strong final can lift you about one letter grade; it cannot usually rescue a failing semester on its own.
Worked example
Current grade 78%, final worth 35%, target 80%. Required score = (80 − 78 × 0.65) ÷ 0.35 = 83.72%. Scoring exactly that on the final gives (78 × 0.65) + (83.72 × 0.35) = 80.00%.
Check these before you trust the table
- Your current grade excludes the final.
- The final is its own weight in the syllabus, not part of a larger exam category.
- No drop or replacement rule applies to the final.