What do I need in one category to reach my overall target?

How we calculated this

Every category besides the one you are solving for is treated as fixed, contributing a set number of points toward your target. What is left over, divided by the weight of the category in question, is the score that category needs. Using the example values above, the rest of the course already contributes 48 points toward an 88% target; the remaining 40 points needed, divided by this category's 40% weight, means you need 100% in this category, its maximum.

This is the same target-solving logic behind Final Grade Needed, applied to any single category rather than only a final exam.

Limitations

"Contribution from every other category" has to be a real, already-known figure; if any other category is still incomplete, its contribution is not yet fixed and this result will not hold. Use Current Weighted Course Grade first to get an accurate combined figure for everything else.

Common mistakes

A frequent error is entering the "other categories" contribution as a percentage of those categories alone (their own internal average) rather than their actual weighted contribution to the whole course. If Homework is 60% of your grade and you scored 80% on it, its contribution is 48 points, not 80; mixing these up produces a category target that looks achievable but is not.

Frequently asked

What if the result is above 100%?

That means this category alone cannot make up the gap, even with a perfect score; the shortfall has to come from somewhere else in the course.

Can I use this for more than one incomplete category at once?

Not directly; this tool solves for exactly one unknown. For several incomplete assessments at once, use Average Needed Across Remaining Assessments.

Does this work for a category that is partly graded?

Yes; treat the ungraded portion of that category as the "selected weight" and fold the already-graded portion into the category's known contribution before running this calculation.

What if two categories are both incomplete?

This tool solves for one unknown category at a time; pick the one you most want an answer for, or use Can I Reach My Target Grade to test both at once with assumed scores.

Next decision

Once you know the score a category needs, see Assignment Score Needed or Quiz Average Needed to translate that into a specific piece of remaining work.