Should You Use the Calculator on the GRE?



One of the top considerations for applicants debating the GRE against the GMAT is the fact that the GRE offers a calculator for its quantitative sections, while the GMAT does not. Undoubtedly, this tool can be a benefit for many test takers, but it may not be the asset it first would appear to be, after all that thing on top of this post is a pretty terrible calculator! That said, it's not the calculator's fault, so in this post we're going to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses for those taking the GRE!


What it Does Well:

The GRE calculator is pretty basic, so it can adequately process basic arithmetic. Use it if you have any difficulties in processing the four basic functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Even the most adept math students would be well-advised to use the calculator for larger manipulations of three or more digits. This often includes processing arithmetic for the data interpretation (charts and graphs) problems that usually occur at questions 14-16 for a give quantitative section.

The calculator is also rather adept at decimal manipulation. This means that rearranging complex decimal math is pretty unnecessary on the GRE, whereas GMAT preppers probably need to become familiar with scientific notation to eliminate complex decimals for efficient processing. The calculator will also make memorizing common fraction to decimal conversions a superfluous skill, too, since if you forgot that 1/9 = .1111111 in the moment you can just throw 1/9 into the ol' calculator.

Lastly, don't forget that the calculator does have a \sqrt{} function, so you need not approximate nor memorize any specific root integer or decimal values to excel on this test.


What it Doesn't Do Well:

The GRE calculator has parentheses to help with processing complex math, but unless you have experience using accounting calculators from the 1970s you probably are not familiar with how to effectively and efficiently deploy those bad boys, so don't try. Simply avoid those M+, M, and MR buttons, since they are way more trouble than they are worth.

So, because the calculator can basically do one operation at a time it really shouldn't be used to process fractional manipulation. If your problem and choices are all in fractional notation, be prepared to manipulate those manually to maximize efficiency.

Additionally, familiarize yourself with all of the rules for manipulating exponential and radical expressions. You will not be able to cancel radicals using the terrible GRE calculator, so beware of trying to process \sqrt{6} x \sqrt{6} using the calculator because the result is likely to be an ugly decimal just less than 6 rather than the correct answer of exactly 6. Of course, combining exponents will be nearly impossible as well using the terrible calculator.

For all of these reasons, we can understand how it was that ETS was able to add the terrible calculator more than ten years ago and change absolutely nothing else about the exam! The test makers believed that their tool might actually be terrible in some applications!!


What it Might Do Well??

So this is a judgment call, hence the question marks above... If your target score is < 160, you probably should use the calculator to confirm most if not all of your simple arithmetic and percentages calculations. A mental math mistake is just too damaging, so better safe than sorry if this is your goal.

However, if you are aiming for 160+, you may need to go faster than the terrible calculator will allow, so you should ensure that you are capable of mental math at the lower levels. This means proficiency with your times tables up to at least 15 squared for multiplication and division, and a basic ability to mentally manipulate percentages. Pulling out the calculator for every calculation is too time consuming for those seeking top quant scores, so head over to math-aids.com to practice manual calculation drills using their free adaptive worksheets.