<p>If you have programs in your calculator, you can use those right? You don't have to clear your calculator before the test?</p>
<p><read with="" cranky="" old="" man="" voice=""> Back in my day, we didn’t even get calculators for the ACT. If you need your programs, forget taking it and go to community college. You either know how to do the math or you do not. Having the calculator do it for you is not going to help when concepts get tougher in college.</read></p>
<p>S1 forgot his calculator for the ACT. He got a 34 (36 in the math). It is not that hard if you are smart. I am an idiot and I got a 29 back in the day.</p>
<p>More seriously, just make sure your calculator is an approved model. Hate to go in expecting to use your programs and then find out you get nada.</p>
<p>I’d assume you can use them. My proctor didn’t even check my calculator model. Suppose it would depend on the harshness of the testing center though.</p>
<p>did you post just to brag about your son?</p>
<p>@libbased</p>
<p>My thoughts exactly lol</p>
<p>I lie awake at night trying to find ways to slip my son’s ACT score into as many conversations as I can without irritating the hell out of all my friends and neighbors. It’s not easy, trust me. But then I found CC, the land of validation and unapologetic vicariism, and I was home…</p>
<p>Some proctors do require them to be cleared and they check. I know two people who had to clear theirs. I don’t know if they all check. Same proctors dismissed a girl for checking her phone after she finished a section. No phones in the test room rule. </p>
<p>The benefit of the programs is not necessarily to have the calculator do the math for you, but, to have the calculator do it more quickly, thus allowing yourself more time on the more difficult problems.</p>
<p>But yes, ideally, a student knows the math well enough that they can do the problems quickly and accurately, but reality is, they don’t and the use of the calculator is beneficial. Calculators are an accepted tool.</p>
<p>Yes, you can use your calculator’s programs on the ACT math section. Some people find that it helps, but a majority of people (myself included) find that pressing all the buttons on the calculator just slows you down. Additionally most of the math questions are not calculator friendly; they’re either geometry based, logic based, require manipulation of equations, or are “variable calculations” rather than “numerical calculations.” My advice would be to not count on your calculator, learn the math and only pull out your calculator when you need to perform a quick calculation. </p>
<p>Yes, you can use them and you should use them where it speeds things up. For plug-and-chug type problems (distance formula, Pythagorean, etc) it gives a speed advantage.</p>
<p>The best ACT calculator IMO is definitely the casio fx-115</p>
<p>has programs and it’s quick…</p>