Semester ClarityHow should I split time when some hours are already locked in?
Mark any course whose study time is already fixed, such as a mandatory lab or fixed recitation, and enter its exact hours. Every unlocked course then splits the remaining time by its own priority weight, with the locked hours untouched.
How we calculated this
Every locked course keeps exactly its entered hours; the residual time (available hours minus every lock) is then split across unlocked courses only, in proportion to their own priority weight, with locked courses' weights playing no part in that split. Using the example values above (8 hours, Course A locked at 3, residual 5 split by weights 2 and 3 between Courses B and C), the result is 3, 2, and 3 hours.
This differs from Study Hours by Course, where a locked minimum is a floor a course can still receive extra time above; here, a locked course's hours are fixed and final.
Limitations
This is a time-splitting heuristic, not a prediction of what any specific split will earn you academically. It also does not check whether your locked commitments are realistic; it only requires that their total not exceed your available hours.
Common mistakes
A common error is locking every course, which leaves no residual time to distribute by priority weight at all; reserve locking for genuinely fixed commitments. Another is forgetting to uncheck "locked" on a course you meant to leave flexible, which silently removes it from the weighted split entirely.
Frequently asked
- What should I lock versus leave weighted?
- Lock only genuinely fixed time, such as a mandatory lab session; leave everything else weighted so it can flex with your actual priorities.
- What if my locked hours use up all my available time?
- Every unlocked course gets zero hours, since there is no residual time left to distribute.
- How is this different from Study Hours by Course?
- Study Hours by Course treats a "locked minimum" as a floor a course can still exceed through its weight; this tool treats a locked course's hours as fixed and final.
- Can I have zero locked courses?
- Yes; with nothing locked, this behaves the same as splitting your full available time by weight alone.
- Can every course be locked at once?
- Yes, as long as the total does not exceed your available hours; in that case no residual time remains to distribute by weight.
Next decision
For a simpler split without any locked commitments, see Study Hours by Course.
For how leverage, a real time split, and a workload check fit together, read Limited Time and Grade Leverage.