I Have a 79 in the Class — What Do I Need on the Final?
Going into the final with a 79%: if the final is worth the typical 20%, you need more than a perfect score (an A isn't reachable) and 84% for a B. Every common weight is below — or set your exact numbers in the calculator.
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What you need at every final-exam weight
| Final worth | For A | For B | For C | For Pass (D) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% | Not possible | 89% | Locked in ✓ | Locked in ✓ |
| 15% | Not possible | 85.7% | 19% | Locked in ✓ |
| 20% | Not possible | 84% | 34% | Locked in ✓ |
| 25% | Not possible | 83% | 43% | 3% |
| 30% | Not possible | 82.3% | 49% | 15.7% |
| 40% | Not possible | 81.5% | 56.5% | 31.5% |
| 50% | Not possible | 81% | 61% | 41% |
Reading this table
"Locked in" means even a zero on the final keeps that grade. "Not possible" means a perfect final still wouldn't get you there — with a 79% and a heavily weighted final, your ceiling is 89.5% (50% weight) to 81.1% (10% weight). The math: needed = (target − current × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight.
Worth knowing
Confirm the scale in your syllabus
The 90/80/70/60 letter cutoffs used here are the most common US scale, but plenty of courses curve, use plus/minus bands differently, or set an A at 94. The syllabus — not any calculator — is the contract that counts.
The registrar's number wins
Online gradebooks lag, professors enter marks late, and rounding policies differ by course. Any calculator — including this one — is a planning tool; the transcript is the record.
The A is gone — spend the time where it still moves
At 79% with a 20%-weighted final an A is out of reach, and that is genuinely useful information: it means these hours are worth more spent on a course where the letter can still move. Rank your courses by how much a grade can shift per hour before you open a book — the finals-week triage guide is a method for doing exactly that.
We keep free study resources for 13 subjects — what specifically loses students marks in that course, free courses and open textbooks worth the time, and separate plans for whether you have a week or one night. Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus, Statistics, General Chemistry, or all 13 subjects.
Common questions
Can I still pass if I fail the final?
Often, yes — it depends on your current grade and the final's weight. With an 80 going in and a final worth 20%, even a 40 on the final leaves you at 72. Run your exact numbers in the calculator; 'failing the final means failing the class' is only true when the final is very heavily weighted or your cushion is thin.
How do I calculate what I need on my final?
Take your target grade, subtract your current grade multiplied by the portion of the course that's already graded, then divide by the final's weight. Example: you have an 85, the final is worth 20%, and you want a 90 overall — you'd need (90 − 85×0.8) ÷ 0.2 = 110%, which means a 90 isn't reachable and your realistic ceiling is an 88.