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Semester Grade Calculator

Many schools build a semester grade from two quarter grades and a semester exam. Enter the three grades and your school’s weights to get the semester grade, and see what exam score you need to reach a target.

Quick examples
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Common splits are 40/40/20 and 45/45/10.

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Semester grade88.6%
Letter grade
B+
Exam score needed for your target
92%

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      Formula

      Semester grade = (Q1 × weight 1 + Q2 × weight 2 + exam × exam weight) ÷ total weight
      Exam score needed = (target × total weight − Q1 × weight 1 − Q2 × weight 2) ÷ exam weight

      How to use it

      1. Enter your two quarter grades.
      2. Enter your exam grade, or a guess if you have not taken it.
      3. Set the weights your school uses — often 40/40/20.
      4. Enter a target grade to see the exam score it takes.

      Worked examples

      Quarters of 88% and 91% and an 85% exam, weighted 40/40/20

      Semester grade
      88.6%
      Letter grade
      B+
      Exam score needed for your target
      92%

      Quarters of 79% and 84% and a 90% exam, weighted 45/45/10, aiming for 80%

      Semester grade
      82.35%
      Letter grade
      B−
      Exam score needed for your target
      66.5%

      Common weightings

      40% + 40% + 20% is the most widely used split. Another is 45/45/10, and some courses have no exam at all, in which case set the exam weight to 0 and each quarter to 50. Your student handbook states which applies.

      Questions people ask

      How is a semester grade calculated?

      Each part is multiplied by its weight and the results are added. Quarters of 88 and 91 with an 85 on the exam, weighted 40/40/20, give 35.2 + 36.4 + 17 = 88.6%.

      What do I need on the semester exam to get an A?

      With quarters of 88 and 91 at 40% each, a 90% semester grade needs (90 − 35.2 − 36.4) ÷ 0.2 = 92% on the exam.

      Does the exam matter if it is only 10%?

      It can move your grade by at most 10 points in theory, and usually by one or two. A 20-point swing in the exam score shifts the semester grade by 2 points.

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