- Check Your Syllabus
- A “Weighted Average” vs. a “Curve”
- RapidTables Grade Calculators
- RogerHub Final Grade Calculator
- GradeCalculator
- Finish Strong
Finals are right around the corner at high schools and colleges across the United States, and for many students, grades are still up in the air. A student giving advice to themselves as a freshman might recommend finding a way to do some end-of-year math to try and calculate how to get their desired grades in each respective class.
In most cases, many teachers and professors utilize a combination of a weighted average to calculate grades, placing greater emphasis on certain tests and projects, along with class management software like Canvas or Blackboard to calculate course grades.
Regardless of whether your school uses a classroom management system or not though, your instructor is obligated to let students know how their grade is calculated. With all these resources, you can easily use a final exam calculator to try and see the score you’ll need on your finals to obtain the grades you want.
Check Your Syllabus
When creating the course’s syllabus, your instructor has to outline the weighted values of your assignments, quizzes, tests, and projects for you. Obviously, it’s easier to make your school year incredible by staying on top of this from the get-go, but you can always refer back to the syllabus to determine just how much emphasis is being put on your final exam grade (or any other assignment for that matter)!
A “Weighted Average” vs. a “Curve”
The most important thing to keep in mind is that a weighted average is not the same as a curve. Where a weighted average gives different values to different assignments, the idea behind curving grades is to raise the average of the greatest number of students possible. Knowing whether your professor grades on a curve as opposed to using a weighted average will make figuring out the grade you need on your final much easier to calculate.
RapidTables Grade Calculators
RapidTables has a robust grade calculator that allows you to calculate what your grade may be towards the end of the semester based on weights from each assignment you’ve completed. Knowing all of this information will let you more accurately predict what score you’ll need on the big assignments due at the end of the semester to meet your intended GPA.
For the home stretch though, they simplify their grade calculator into a final exam calculator. All you’ll need is your current grade, the grade you want, and how your final is weighted to easily calculate the minimum grade needed on your final to get your desired grade.
RogerHub Final Grade Calculator
The team at RogerHub have a very effective final grade calculator, as well. Their final exam grade calculation gives you a brief summary of the following formula they use to give you an indication of what score you’ll need to increase or maintain your course grade:
Required = (Goal − Current × (100% − Final Weight)) / Final Weight
GradeCalculator
The advantage to GradeCalculator’s exam calculator is they have taken the time to include a tutorial for using their product. Sometimes, it helps to get a little advice along the way, and their site goes that extra distance. This can really help a student understand how their grades are calculated, how weighted scoring affects their average, and how a student can position themselves for the best grades possible next semester.
Finish Strong
Obviously, using a final exam calculator is not a substitute for hard work and studying. Knowing what you need to score can help you prioritize your study efforts, but won’t actually help you earn the grade you need. Also, knowing what your desired grade should be can actually cause unnecessary stress during finals. Practicing daily study habits and working purposefully on assignments is the most sensible way to achieve good grades.
While the semester may be nearly over, there is still that final exam or assignment left. Whether you focus your attention on acing that final exam in order to meet your GPA goals or just want to know you can coast through the end of the semester, remember that managing your time is your biggest key to success. Avoid “cramming” for finals or pulling “all nighters” to prepare an assignment at all costs.
