FINAL EXAM PLANNING
Final exam worth 70%: what score do I need?
A final worth 70% with a 78% going in needs 80.86% to finish at 80%. Full table for every current grade and target grade.
With a final worth 70% and a 78% going in, you need80.86%on the final to finish with 80%.
Each final-exam point is worth 0.7 course-grade points. Assumes the final is the only remaining grade.
| Current grade | Target 60% | Target 70% | Target 80% | Target 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 64.29% | 78.58% | 92.86% | 107.15% |
| 55% | 62.15% | 76.43% | 90.72% | 105.00% |
| 60% | 60.00% | 74.29% | 88.58% | 102.86% |
| 65% | 57.86% | 72.15% | 86.43% | 100.72% |
| 70% | 55.72% | 70.00% | 84.29% | 98.58% |
| 75% | 53.58% | 67.86% | 82.15% | 96.43% |
| 80% | 51.43% | 65.72% | 80.00% | 94.29% |
| 85% | 49.29% | 63.58% | 77.86% | 92.15% |
| 90% | 47.15% | 61.43% | 75.72% | 90.00% |
| 95% | 45.00% | 59.29% | 73.58% | 87.86% |
| 100% | 42.86% | 57.15% | 71.43% | 85.72% |
above 100% (not reachable without extra credit) · 90% or higher · already secured
What a 70% final means
The rest of your course, 30% of the grade, is already locked in. Your current grade carries 0.43 times the weight of the final. With a final this heavy, a strong exam can rescue a weak semester, and a weak exam can undo a strong one.
Worked example
Current grade 78%, final worth 70%, target 80%. Required score = (80 − 78 × 0.30) ÷ 0.70 = 80.86%. Scoring exactly that on the final gives (78 × 0.30) + (80.86 × 0.70) = 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.