How is a semester grade calculated?

Each grading period and the semester exam is worth a set share of the semester grade. Multiply each grade by its weight, add them up and divide by the total weight. With two quarters at 40% each and an exam at 20%, quarter grades of 85 and 78 and an exam of 90 give (40 × 85 + 40 × 78 + 20 × 90) ÷ 100 = 83.2%.

What do I need on my semester exam?

Leave the exam grade blank. The calculator shows the exam score you need for every letter grade. With quarters of 85 and 78 at 40% each and an exam worth 20%, you need 74% on the exam to finish with 80%.

What are the weights for quarters and the semester exam?

It depends on your school or district. Two quarters at 40% each plus a 20% exam is a common setup, and some schools use three six-weeks periods plus an exam, or no exam at all. Check your student handbook or ask your teacher, then type your school's weights in.

What if my school doesn't have a semester exam?

Leave the exam weight blank. The semester grade is then the weighted average of your grading periods. Two quarters at 50% each with 90 and 80 give 85%.

Do schools round semester grades?

Many do, often to the nearest whole number, and some use grade points for each quarter instead of percentages. This calculator works in percentages and doesn't round, so check how your school does it.

Semester grade calculator (with or without a final exam)

The formula

Semester grade = Σ (grade × weight) ÷ Σ weight

Include every grading period and the semester exam. If the weights add up to 100%, the bottom of the formula is just 100. Weights like 2, 2 and 1 work too: they're the same as 40%, 40% and 20%.

Worked example: two quarters and an exam

Quarter 1: 85 × 40% = 34.0 points
Quarter 2: 78 × 40% = 31.2 points
Exam: 90 × 20% = 18.0 points
Semester grade: 34.0 + 31.2 + 18.0 = 83.2%, a B on the A+ to F scale

What you need on the semester exam

Needed on exam = (goal × total weight − points so far) ÷ exam weight

With the same two quarters, you have 65.2 points before the exam. To finish with 80%, you need 80 − 65.2 = 14.8 more points from an exam worth 20, so (14.8 ÷ 20) × 100 = 74%. A zero on the exam leaves you at 65.2%, and a perfect exam takes you to 85.2%.

Common setups

Setup	Example weights	Notes
2 quarters + semester exam	40% / 40% / 20%	A common high school setup. Some schools weight the exam 10% or 25%.
3 six-weeks + semester exam	Equal six-weeks, exam 15% to 25%	Used by many districts that grade in six-week periods.
2 quarters, no exam	50% / 50%	When the semester exam is waived or there isn't one.

These are examples, not rules. Your district's student handbook or your teacher's syllabus gives the real weights. Some schools also average quarter grades as grade points (4, 3, 2...) instead of percentages, which can give a different result.

For a single class's final exam inside one grading period, use the final grade calculator. To turn semester grades into a GPA, use the GPA calculator.

Common questions

How is a semester grade calculated?: Each grading period and the semester exam is worth a set share of the semester grade. Multiply each grade by its weight, add them up and divide by the total weight. With two quarters at 40% each and an exam at 20%, quarter grades of 85 and 78 and an exam of 90 give (40 × 85 + 40 × 78 + 20 × 90) ÷ 100 = 83.2%.
What do I need on my semester exam?: Leave the exam grade blank. The calculator shows the exam score you need for every letter grade. With quarters of 85 and 78 at 40% each and an exam worth 20%, you need 74% on the exam to finish with 80%.
What are the weights for quarters and the semester exam?: It depends on your school or district. Two quarters at 40% each plus a 20% exam is a common setup, and some schools use three six-weeks periods plus an exam, or no exam at all. Check your student handbook or ask your teacher, then type your school's weights in.
What if my school doesn't have a semester exam?: Leave the exam weight blank. The semester grade is then the weighted average of your grading periods. Two quarters at 50% each with 90 and 80 give 85%.
Do schools round semester grades?: Many do, often to the nearest whole number, and some use grade points for each quarter instead of percentages. This calculator works in percentages and doesn't round, so check how your school does it.