I'm taking the FE on April 21st. Which calculator do you guys recommend? It looks like the HP 33S is the best one, but it is also the most expensive one. I'm thinking that I might go with the Casio FX 115MSPlus based on functionality and cost. Any advice from people who have taken the exam already?

Hewlett Packard – HP 33S
Casio – FX 115MS or FX 115MSPlus
Texas Instruments – TI 30X IIS
Texas Instruments – TI 36X SOLAR

4/15/2007 5:40:45 PM

I used the TI 30X I believe, only because I think it was the cheapest calculator I could find on the list. I took it last Oct. and did fine, its really not that hard of a test, just really long. I got so tired of looking at the test in the afternoon session that I actually took a "bathroom break" to see if anybody standing in the lobby knew what the score was to the NC State football game was...haha.

4/15/2007 5:51:37 PM

get a Texas Instruments or Casio and you will be okay

avoid the HP because the operation of them is very queer

practice using it before the test to familiarize yourself with what it can do...the Casio can take derivatives or integrate, which can be convenient

4/15/2007 9:36:18 PM

Stay far away from HPs they dont operate like any other calculater youve ever used.

Get one that has two line (ie shows you the answer and the numbers you put in on top). I went with the TI36X Solar because I bought it a month ahead of time to practice with it in case the batteries ran out, you really should practice with whichever calculator you buy since the faster you are with it the more time you have.

I suppose you could get a Casio since they do definate integrals/derivitives, but seriously, if you cant do basic calculus you probably shouldn't be taking the test at all.

4/15/2007 10:54:16 PM

can you not use the TI-89 any longer?

you could when i took it in '03

4/15/2007 10:54:47 PM

^

Quote :

"1. What is the calculator policy? What calculators may I bring to the exam? Only models of calculators approved by NCEES are permitted in the exam room. No other models of calculators or variations of the models listed below are permitted in the exam room. The following are the only calculators that will be permitted in the exam room for the 2007 exam administrations. Hewlett Packard – HP 33S Casio – FX 115MS or FX 115MSPlus Texas Instruments – TI 30X IIS Texas Instruments – TI 36X SOLAR Each year, NCEES will review and revise the approved calculator list and then announce the updated list by November 15. "

http://www.ncees.org/exams/calculators/index.php#approved

[Edited on April 15, 2007 at 11:46 PM. Reason : ]

4/15/2007 11:46:47 PM

^ hmm. hardcore.

but yeah, in 03 they were like "you can use the TI-89, but you cant use the TI-92"

and i was like

4/16/2007 12:07:37 AM

http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=471549

You can buy a calculator real cheap here!

4/16/2007 1:10:37 PM

yeah do a wtb or something no engineer ever uses these outside of the eit/pe

4/16/2007 1:19:33 PM

http://www.brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=472495

4/16/2007 2:16:22 PM

I have 2 TI-36X SOLARs that are about 10 years old. They do not have all the functions of the current TI-36X SOLARs, but you don't need a calculator for anything more than algebra (and maybe evaluate some trig functions).

If anyone is in desperate need for a calculator I will loan these. You can get by just fine with no calculator at all. Most of the angles they use are the ones you're supposed to memorize (30, 45, 60, 90, 135) anyway. There's very little calculus required on the exam and what is on there is extremely easy. Spending more than a few dollars on a calculator you're only going to use once is pretty dumb.

[Edited on April 16, 2007 at 3:57 PM. Reason : ]

4/16/2007 3:57:00 PM

Quote :

"you're supposed to memorize (30, 45, 60, 90, 135)"

sure I memorized those in like trig . . . but I have more important shit to remember now. I could probably guess pretty good in a pinch, but I wouldn't want to count on it.

4/16/2007 7:09:29 PM

casio does integration

4/16/2007 7:19:56 PM

^the integration that you have to do on the FE is easy

4/16/2007 8:48:44 PM

as i said before the casio does integration

4/16/2007 9:20:26 PM

Casio – FX 115MS

Saves time. Check your numerical integration and differentiation. Automatic conversions between decimal, binary, and hexadecimal base systems. Cheap at Wal-Mart. Read the whole user guide to familiarize yourself with the functions. You need to use this BEFORE test day, especially if you are used to a graphing calculator.

4/16/2007 9:55:02 PM

damn I have a TI-30Xa laying around that I can't use.

/cry

4/17/2007 12:28:35 PM