FINAL EXAM PLANNING
Final exam worth 5%: what score do I need?
A final worth 5% with a 78% going in needs 118.00% to finish at 80%. Full table for every current grade and target grade.
With a final worth 5% and a 78% going in, you need118.00%on the final to finish with 80%.
Each final-exam point is worth 0.05 course-grade points. Assumes the final is the only remaining grade.
| Current grade | Target 60% | Target 70% | Target 80% | Target 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 250.00% | 450.00% | 650.00% | 850.00% |
| 55% | 155.00% | 355.00% | 555.00% | 755.00% |
| 60% | 60.00% | 260.00% | 460.00% | 660.00% |
| 65% | 0% | 165.00% | 365.00% | 565.00% |
| 70% | 0% | 70.00% | 270.00% | 470.00% |
| 75% | 0% | 0% | 175.00% | 375.00% |
| 80% | 0% | 0% | 80.00% | 280.00% |
| 85% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 185.00% |
| 90% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 90.00% |
| 95% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
above 100% (not reachable without extra credit) · 90% or higher · already secured
What a 5% final means
The rest of your course, 95% of the grade, is already locked in. Your current grade carries 19 times the weight of the final. The final can nudge your grade, but it rarely changes the letter unless you are already near a boundary.
Worked example
Current grade 78%, final worth 5%, target 80%. Required score = (80 − 78 × 0.95) ÷ 0.05 = 118.00%. Scoring exactly that on the final gives (78 × 0.95) + (118.00 × 0.05) = 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.