Calculator

This is the easiest post to write. You are limited as to which calculators you may bring to the exam.

The best of your (very limited) selection is the TI-36X Pro. Why?

1. 4 Line Visible Stack
2. Reliable (I have 2 and both are working fine years later)
3. Solar Power Backup
4. Inexpensive
5. Nice Button Position/Response
6. Linear Interpolation*

The only reason to chose the other calculator options is if you are already know it well and like it. Regardless, you should give the TI-36X Pro a look. You might be surprised. I'm an HP guy and found the Pro pretty easy to pick up and use with speed from day one.

Bring two of these calculators to the exam (one for backup). It is >$20, so why not? The exam costs $350; why put this money at risk with a battery or mechanical failure? Leave the covers at home; some proctors will not allow them in the room.

*I don't recommend interpolation on this type of exam to save time. I estimate. But if you feel the need, the Pro's interpolation function takes about the same time as by hand (I've timed it). I personally never interpolated, just estimated, and it worked great. When you do practice problems, try estimating, then interpolate to check; you will find it almost never pays to waste time interpolating. Remember, you only have 4 answer selections. Time is your enemy on this exam, not precision. I think I found 1/100 practice problems where guessing got me the wrong final answer. Invest your time elsewhere.

But if you must interpolate, use the Pro's interpolation function because it requires no real "thinking" and is a nice rest from that. Regardless, make sure you practice using whatever method you intend on the exam. Interpolating on the Pro is a tad confusing at first, but easy once you know how:

Example: Given 200, 250, 300 interpolate between 1, 2:
(data)
type in:
----------
200     1
300     2
----------
(2nd) (data)
Scroll 2 down (2_Var Stats)
Scroll 3 down (calc)

Scroll 16 down (y')
Type number to interpolate to, here 250
(enter) gives 1.5

One last calculator trick to use on the exam: get used to using roots as exponents. It's a lot faster to enter y^0.5 for a square root, y^0.3 for a cube, etc. Remember, you will have to do many large roots, so just learn the process for any root and stick with it. It's the same for negative exponents; they are faster than inverting. Again, it's all about speed, and what you practice will be what you do under pressure. You shouldn't think on this exam. You've either done it a million times and crank it out, or you should skip it and invest your time elsewhere. It's funny to say about this type of exam, but if you think, you're dead.