My class is curved — what do I need on the final?
No calculator can tell you, and any that claims to is guessing. A curve depends on how everyone else scores, and those scores do not exist yet. What can be computed is your raw position: at 68% with a final worth 30%, a C needs 84.67 uncurved. Treat a curve as a rebate nobody has promised.
Common plus/minus convention; many schools use straight letters or different cut points.
You need 84.7% on the final.
That is within reach — the final is worth 30% of your grade.
🔢 Show the math
- Work graded so far covers 70% of the course; 30% is still to come.
- Points already banked: 68% × 70% = 47.6 points of the 100 available.
- To finish at 73% you still need 25.4 points from the remaining 30%.
- 25.4 ÷ 30 × 100 = 84.67% on what is left.
What you need, at every current grade
With a final worth 30% of your course grade and a C (73% on a plus-minus scale) as the goal, this is the score you need on the final from each starting point:
| Current grade | You need on the final | Reachable? |
|---|---|---|
| 82% | 52.0% | Yes |
| 76% | 66.0% | Yes |
| 72% | 75.3% | Yes |
| 68% | 84.7% | Yes |
| 63% | 96.3% | Yes |
| 57% | 110.3% | Not with this final alone |
Grading scales vary by institution — your school's own table and syllabus govern. Conversions shown here follow common published conventions.
Frequently asked questions
Why can a curve not be calculated in advance?
Because its inputs are other people's exam scores. A curve set from the class distribution — the top mark, the mean, or a target spread of letters — cannot be evaluated until the papers are marked, and the instructor frequently decides its shape afterwards. There is no honest way to price it beforehand.
What are the common kinds of curve?
Three appear most often: a flat addition of points to every score, scaling so the highest mark becomes 100, and fitting results to a target spread of letters. The first two help everybody; the third is competitive, because your grade then turns on your rank rather than on your percentage.
So what is this page good for?
It gives you the uncurved number, which is the input every curve operates on. Improving your raw score improves your standing under all three shapes, and no curve reorders students. Plan to the raw requirement, and treat whatever adjustment arrives afterwards as margin you did not have to spend.
Should I ask how the curve worked last time?
It is a reasonable question and the answer is useful context, but a previous adjustment commits nobody. A cohort that performs well may see no curve at all, and instructors are often unwilling to state a policy in advance, because saying it out loud changes how a class behaves in the exam.
Other targets
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