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Final Exam Grade Needed:
How to Calculate the Grade Needed on Your Final Exam by Hand
Calculating the grade you need on your final exam to reach your target grade involves a few steps. Here’s a detailed guide:
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Determine your current grade in the course. For example, let’s say your current grade is 85%.
2. Determine your target grade for the course. For example, let’s say you want to achieve a 90% overall grade.
3. Determine the weight of the final exam. For example, let’s say the final exam is worth 30% of your total grade.
4. Use the following formula to calculate the grade you need on the final exam:
Final Exam Grade Needed = (Target Grade - (Current Grade × (1 - Final Exam Weight))) / Final Exam Weight
5. Plug in the values from the example:
Final Exam Grade Needed = (90 - (85 × (1 - 0.30))) / 0.30
6. Calculate the result:
Final Exam Grade Needed = (90 - (85 × 0.70)) / 0.30
Final Exam Grade Needed = (90 - 59.5) / 0.30
Final Exam Grade Needed = 30.5 / 0.30
Final Exam Grade Needed ≈ 101.67%
In this example, you would need to score approximately 101.67% on the final exam to achieve your target grade of 90%. Since it is not possible to score more than 100%, you would need to aim for the highest possible score and consider other ways to improve your overall grade.
Example Calculation
Let’s say you have the following grades and weights:
- Current Grade: 80%
- Target Grade: 85%
- Final Exam Weight: 40%
Use the formula to calculate the grade needed on the final exam:
Final Exam Grade Needed = (85 - (80 × (1 - 0.40))) / 0.40
Calculate the result:
Final Exam Grade Needed = (85 - (80 × 0.60)) / 0.40
Final Exam Grade Needed = (85 - 48) / 0.40
Final Exam Grade Needed = 37 / 0.40
Final Exam Grade Needed = 92.5%
In this example, you would need to score 92.5% on the final exam to achieve your target grade of 85%.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can manually calculate the grade you need on your final exam to reach your target grade. This method ensures that you understand how your final exam impacts your overall grade and helps you set realistic goals.