Grade Needed Calculator
Across everything graded to date.
How much of the final grade is locked in. Must be below 100.
How the math works
Split the course into the part that is graded and the part that is not. If done percent is locked in at some average, the remaining 100−done percent has to supply whatever the target still lacks:
needed = (target − average × done/100) ÷ ((100 − done)/100)
An 82 average over 60% of the course, aiming for 85: the locked work has banked 49.2 points, the target needs 35.8 more, and the remaining slice is worth 0.4 of the course — so the rest has to average 35.8 ÷ 0.4 = 89.5. The same student aiming for a 90 would need 102.0, which is the honest way of saying that target is gone.
The mechanic to internalize: the later it is in the course, the more violently the needed average moves. At 25% remaining, every point of target costs four points of performance on what is left. That is also why a strong early average is worth so much — a 95 average over 90% of the course has an 80 secured with a −55.0 cushion before the last assignment is even handed out.
If the only thing remaining is the final exam, this question collapses into the final grade calculator — 40% of the course remaining here is exactly a 40%-weight final there, and the two tools return the same number.
Questions
What formula does this calculator use?
needed = (target - average x done/100) / ((100 - done)/100), where done is the percent of the course already graded. With an 82 average over 60% of the course and an 85 target, that is (85 - 49.2) / 0.4 = 89.5 on the remaining 40%.
How is this different from the final grade calculator?
The final grade calculator asks about one exam with a known weight. This one asks about everything still to come - remaining homework, quizzes, projects, and exams together as one block. If the only thing left is the final, the two tools agree exactly: 40% remaining here equals a 40%-weight final there.
What if it says I need more than 100%?
Then the target is not reachable from your current position without extra credit, and the calculator says so plainly. The useful next step is to lower the target and find the best grade that is still mathematically alive.
What does already secured mean here?
The needed average is zero or below: even scoring nothing on the rest of the course leaves you at or above the target. The raw number is shown so you can see the size of the cushion.
Why will it not accept 100% as the share already graded?
At 100% graded there is nothing left to change the grade, so there is nothing to solve for. If a final exam is still coming, the graded share is below 100 - your gradebook's category weights tell you how far below.