Updated: Friday, May 15, 2026
By an IvyWise Master Tutor
It’s SAT and ACT season for college-bound students, and many will go into these tests with a calculator in-hand. Make sure you know how — and when — to use it.
While the CollegeBoard’s official calculator policy states that you do not need a calculator for the SAT, the reality is that a calculator is an absolute must for the exam. However, computer algebra system (CAS) calculators are prohibited — scientific and graphic calculators are permitted as long as they do not have CAS functionality. The CollegeBoard recommends bringing an approved calculator that is familiar to you, but you can also use the Desmos calculator that’s embedded in the exam.
Tutors and those who provide test prep services don’t talk much about SAT calculator hacks, so we’re taking it on. We’re answering the top calculator question we get here at IvyWise: What is the best SAT calculator for me? Additionally, we will provide our top SAT calculator hacks.
At IvyWise, we recommend investing in a TI-83 (discontinued) or TI-84, which are the most popular graphing calculators used for standardized exams. These offer advanced calculation, graphing, statistics, and scientific functions that will be more than sufficient for the SAT. The SAT does not specify which graphing calculators to use.
In order to get the most out of your calculator, you must be familiar with it and have used ideally for 20 hours or more. This helps ensure that you have a vague muscle memory of where the keys are, what settings there are, and so forth. Hopefully you use the calculator you already use for school work and homework.
Doing basic calculations that are otherwise time-consuming — like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponent, radical, or logarithm — is an invaluable use of your calculator during the SAT. If you are unfamiliar with the location of these keys, take time to understand where they are and how to get to them. Additionally, there are many other built-in functions and features on your graphing calculator that are also incredibly helpful. We’re sharing a few of our favorite SAT hacks here.
Hitting the Math button unveils the Frac and Dec functions, which turns decimals to fractions or fractions to decimals.
For example, let us say you are doing the following calculation, which yields: ½ + ⅖ + 4/7 = 1.4714285. However, if the answer choices are all in fractions, this could mean additional work. The Frac function helps convert decimal to fraction form, and the Dec function converts fractions to decimals.
The calculator you bring for the SAT can easily graph systems of complex equations and quadratics, as well as absolute value, inequalities, parabolas, ellipses, trig functions, and a whole host of other, more complex equations that are difficult to draw by hand and do the required calculation.
Finally, one of our top SAT hacks: free, downloadable programs for your calculator.
There are many available on www.ticalc.org that can quickly allow factoring, foiling, using information to create slope-intercept or point slope form equations, determining values of unknown variables in systems of equations, and even roots of quadratics. Such quick calculation shortcuts can save time and make your life easier by adding accuracy.
Once you’re on the Ticalc site, you can pick and choose which programs to download into your calculator. Pick the graphing calculator you have from the list, connect the link cable from the calculator to your computer, and simply download the programs you think you will need. There are hundreds of programs, games, and applications to choose from, but for the purposes of the SAT — pick the programs that you will be able to use.
At the end of the day, keep in mind that the calculator is there to help you when necessary. Your test prep plan should include test-taking strategies that help you identify when you need a calculator and when you don’t.
IvyWise test prep services help you get organized and prepared for standardized tests, including one-on-one guidance that helps you reach your college admissions goals.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in September 2017 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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