What do I need to get an A?
The unwelcome answer first: if "an A" means the common 93 cutoff and you are carrying anything under about 90 into a normally weighted final, the A is usually already out of reach — and it is better to know that from arithmetic than from a returned exam. The formula is the final grade calculator's: needed = (target − current × (1 − weight)) ÷ weight, with weight as a fraction. This guide runs it across the full grid so you can see where the boundary really sits.
The ladder for an A at 93
Needed final-exam score to land a 93 course grade, by current grade and final weight:
| Current grade | 15% final | 25% final | 40% final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 166.7 | 132 | 112.5 |
| 85 | 138.3 | 117 | 105 |
| 90 | 110 | 102 | 97.5 |
Eight of the nine cells sit above 100. Without extra credit, those eight are not plans — they are closed doors. The single live cell is a 90 average heading into a 40%-weight final, and it asks for a 97.5. Worked out once in full: at 90 current and 40% weight, the other 60% of the course contributes 90 × 0.6 = 54 points, so the final must supply 93 − 54 = 39 points from its 40% share, and 39 ÷ 0.4 = 97.5.
The entry tickets
Flip the question — what current grade keeps an A merely possible (needed ≤ 100)? Solving the same formula for the current grade gives a minimum entry ticket per weight:
| Target | 20% final | 25% final | 40% final |
|---|---|---|---|
| A at 93 | 91.25 | 90.67 | 88.33 |
| A− at 90 | 87.5 | 86.67 | 83.33 |
Read the top row plainly: at a typical 20% final, a 93-A stays mathematically alive only from a current grade of 91.25 or better — and "alive" there means a perfect 100 on the final. A heavier final lowers the ticket (more of the grade is still undecided), which is the one honest sense in which a big final is good news for a chaser.
"An A" often means the A− line
At many schools the question that matters is the 90 line, not the 93 — A− territory, 3.7 on the standard ladder. That grid is kinder but still strict: from an 80, the A− is out of reach at any of the three weights (146.7, 120, and 105 needed); from an 85 it becomes possible only at the 40% final, needing a 97.5; from a 90 the arithmetic turns trivial — score a 90 and you hold, at any weight, because holding your average is always the price of holding your grade. Whether your transcript treats an A− as "an A" is your school's table — the letter-to-GPA converter shows what each letter is actually worth before you spend finals week chasing the wrong line.
If the A is gone
Three honest moves. Recompute for the next line down — the grade needed calculator generalizes this page to any remaining share of the course, not just one final. Ask about extra credit before the exam, not after; a needed score of 105 is exactly a request for five points of it. And check the syllabus for a drop-lowest or replacement policy — the test average calculator shows how a dropped score moves your current grade, which moves this whole page's arithmetic. What does not work is retaking the same formula hoping for a different answer.
Run your own numbers
The grids above use round examples on the common 93/90 cutoffs. Your course has its own current grade, its own weight, and possibly its own cutoffs — the final grade calculator takes all three and shows the full letter ladder for your actual situation, including the impossible and already-secured states, and the semester grade calculator handles the two-term-plus-final shape. If finals week is really about passing rather than the A, the companion guide — what do I need to pass? — runs this same arithmetic against the 60, 65, and 70 lines.