Calculators raise two questions on exam day: are you allowed to bring one, and can you use it without mistakes? This guide summarises only what we could confirm from official sources for several major exams, then offers practical tips that protect your score.
Rules change from year to year. Everything below was checked on each organisation's website on 2026-09-24. Always confirm the current year's official notice before your exam. Web calculators like SciKey run on phones and computers, so they cannot be used in any of the exams below. Use them for practice and checking.
1. Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT, Suneung)
The CSAT is South Korea's national university entrance exam. Calculators are not allowed. The Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) states that, as a rule, all electronic devices are banned from the exam site regardless of their function or whether they would be used, and lists as prohibited any item with communication or payment functions, any item with an electronic display (LCD, LED), and rechargeable items. A calculator is an electronic device with an LCD, so it falls under this rule. Candidates who bring a prohibited item must hand it in before the first period as instructed by the proctor; failing to do so is treated as cheating. Even watches are limited to analogue watches with no payment or communication features and no electronic display.
(Source: Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, CSAT website, "Candidate guidelines – exam procedures", checked 2026-09-24. The page says the 2027 guidelines will be posted later and refers candidates to the 2026 guidelines in the meantime.)
CSAT maths is therefore designed to be solved by hand. Use a calculator only to check your practice work.
2. Korean national technical qualifications (HRD Korea)
The national technical qualification exams run by HRD Korea (Human Resources Development Service of Korea, via its Q-Net portal) allow scientific calculators, but only approved models.
- Applies to: all candidates for every field at the Master Craftsman, Engineer, Industrial Engineer, Service and Craftsman levels (phased in by level between 2019 and 2022)
- Key rule: only models in the approved groups may be used, and only after being reset; scientific calculators from other manufacturers or models are not allowed.
- Professional Engineer level: both approved and non-approved scientific calculators may be used, but the candidate must reset the calculator themselves, following its manual, and have it checked by the proctor.
- Basic four-function calculators may be used regardless of model.
- Suffixes at the end of a model number (ES, MS, EX, etc.) do not matter.
- National professional qualifications (such as patent attorney and appraiser) are excluded from this system.
| Manufacturer | Approved model groups |
|---|---|
| Casio | FX-901–999, FX-501–599, FX-301–399, FX-80–120 |
| Sharp | EL-501–599, EL-5100, EL-5230, EL-5250, EL-5500 |
| UNIONE | UC-600E, UC-400M, UC-800X |
| Canon | F-715SG, F-788SG, F-792SGA |
| MORNINGGLORY | ECS-101 |
| DELI | D991EX |
(Source: HRD Korea, Q-Net "Application guide – Scientific calculators (approved models for national technical qualifications)", checked 2026-09-24)
A reset returns stored variables, memory and settings (angle mode, display format) to their defaults. Practise re-setting the angle mode and display format after a reset before exam day. Most models return to DEG after a reset, but confirm this in your manual.
3. FE and PE exams in the US (NCEES)
NCEES, which administers the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) and Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exams, limits calculators to a short list that it reviews every year. For 2026 exams, only these are acceptable:
- Casio: all fx-115 and fx-991 models (the model name must contain "fx-115" or "fx-991")
- Hewlett Packard: the HP 33s and HP 35s, but no others
- Texas Instruments: all TI-30X and TI-36X models (the model name must contain "TI-30X" or "TI-36X")
(Source: NCEES, "Calculator policy" on the Exams page, checked 2026-09-24)
4. SAT (College Board)
On the digital SAT, calculators may be used in the Math section only; during the Reading and Writing modules they must be kept under the desk. The Bluebook testing app includes an embedded Desmos calculator that can switch between graphing and scientific modes. Personal graphing, scientific and four-function calculators are permitted, but calculators with CAS (computer algebra system) functionality are not allowed. Devices with QWERTY keyboards, wireless internet, Bluetooth or cellular connectivity, as well as tablets, laptops and phone calculator apps, are also prohibited.
(Source: College Board, SAT Suite "Calculator Policy", checked 2026-09-24)
5. Practical tips
Before you start: check the modes
- Angle mode. Most exam problems use degrees; only angular velocity and oscillation problems need radians. Check the DEG/RAD indicator at the start of every problem. In RAD mode, sin(30) is −0.988.
- Display format. In FIX (fixed decimals) mode, small values may show as 0.00. The default NORM mode is safer.
Input: bracket habits
- Bracket the whole denominator: a/(b×c)
- Bracket expressions in exponents: e^(−t/(R×C))
- Bracket negative bases: (−3)^2
- Calculators handle implied multiplication differently, so avoid ambiguous input such as
6÷2(1+2).
Store intermediate values
Rounding intermediate results and retyping them shifts the last digits of your final answer. Keep them in Ans or variable memory (STO) and round once at the end. When two multiple-choice options differ only in the last digit, this decides the mark.
Check by estimation
A mistyped input gives a plausible wrong answer. Before writing it down, estimate the magnitude.
- 9.81 × 2.0² / 2 → roughly 10 × 4 / 2 = 20; the calculator's 19.62 agrees.
- If you got 200 or 0.2, recheck your input.
- Check units too: mm versus m and μF versus mF are frequent mix-ups.
Plug answers back in
If you solved an equation to choose an option, substitute your answer back into the original equation. It is the fastest way to catch a slip. For example, if you chose 14.2 as the solution to 1.05ⁿ = 2, check that 1.05^14.2 is about 2 (1.99934640811).
Practise on your exam model
Work through past papers on the exact model you will take. Fraction entry, the ×10ˣ key and memory keys sit in different places on different models. The best preparation is to never press a key for the first time in the exam room.
Batteries and reset practice
A weak battery can dim the display or lose stored values. Check it before the exam, and look up the reset procedure (usually a reset item in the setup menu) in your manual.