Why can't I use my own calculator on the GRE?

The makers of the GRE require you to use their online calculator.

No, it’s not just to torture you, even though you may feel that this is the result.

It looks something like this:

It has basic functions with a minimal display area. Likely it is much more basic and awkward than you would expect, after “bonding” with a scientific calculator or a graphing calculator. And the flow of use is different from a more advanced calculator.

Some thoughts on why this is all they provide:

1. The exam is architected to determine your reasoning and problem-solving ability, so the numerical calculations are secondary. In fact, they will never give you a question that requires tons of punching numbers in; it’s a waste of your precious test time. After all, the section is called “Quantitative Reasoning” and not “Math.”

2. Many candidates have acquired the habit of automatically reaching for the calculator for every computation. It may feel faster and safer, but that’s true only for only a minority of the problems.

3. Using the calculator judiciously may be another way they test your time management skills.

4. A surprising percentage of candidates don’t have their basic math facts memorized and automatic. If this is you, learn them now! It’s an easy, no-brainer way to scoop up a few extra points on the exam.

Use of Calculator on the GRE--Why to Minimize

Even though there are cases where the online calculator will help you, it’s best to minimize its use.

As I am wont to offer boring stories, I can’t help but share the following:

I was working with a high school senior who was prepping for the ACT. A bright student doing well in her calculus class, she already had earned a score of about 32 on the ACT, and wanted to boost that up a few points (out of 36 possible). I suggested a quick and easy way to reach her goal: noticing that she was using her calculator for virtually every computation, I suggested that cutting back on her use of her calculator would save time and energy, enough by itself to boost her score. Alas, she did not receive this well, so I asked her what is 8 + 5. She didn't know. And she pushed back on the idea of memorizing the basic math facts.

Interestingly, the older students, those preparing for the GRE, tend to be more open to this easy fix.

Let’s do the math on this issue. There are 40 quantitative questions that are scored for the GRE. If you can easily slice off 10 seconds from each question on average, that’s a total of 400 seconds saved. Quick….how many minutes is that? Yes, almost 7! Enough time to get a few more questions correct.

Besides saving time, there are additional benefits to using what is called “mental math” but I refer to as “air math” or “visual math” instead—reducing cognitive load and “attention switching.”

Reducing Cognitive Load (Brain Power)
How much problem-solving information can you hold in your head at a time? This varies from person to person, but it’s not infinite. The more basic computations you can make automatic, the easier it becomes to use in a problem. Not only does it save time and energy, but it also enables you to focus your attention on the reasoning aspects of a question. (Example questions in a future post.) If you can subtract 25-16 using air math, it probably wouldn’t take more than 5 seconds, and use very little brain power. Now imagine turning your attention to bringing up the online calculator, typing in “25-16” and hitting Enter, closing the calculator, and finally turning your attention back to your scratch paper. About 9 seconds! There is also a risk of miss-entering a value, which can be greater than if you had used visual math.

Limitations of the GRE Online Calculator
The online calculator provided on the exam can only support 8 digits! This prevents you from brute-forcing some of the questions. In these cases they are testing your ability to use quantitative concepts to solve the problem. (Example questions coming soon.)

Practice Using a Simulation of the GRE Calculator Before the Actual Exam
There are a few apps available that you can use during your prep for the exam. This is especially important if you are used to using a scientific calculator or a graphing calculator. The switch-over does take some mental and muscle response re-programming. You can get the app here.

Here is how I became aware of this issue:

For the last few years I have used “FreeCell” games (a form of solitaire) on the computer to decompress after a hard day’s work. And I recently downloaded a phone app of this.

Waiting at the dentist’s office, and trying to distract myself from contemplating an impending root canal, I opened FreeCell on my phone and began to play. I noticed immediately that, even though the strategy was exactly the same as the large-screen version, there was a definite visual recognition learning curve that was slowing me down.

You don’t want to lose exam minutes getting in gear with a “more basic” calculator than you are used to.

Is This Going to Be on the Test (GRE)?

A number of years ago, when I was teaching in the classroom, I regularly introduced a relevant application of a Math concept I was covering. I think this provides a context, a window into what is coming in their next Math course, especially when related to Physics and Medicine.

Inevitably, someone would ask, “Is this going to be on the test?” This is a very dumb question to ask of the person who will be giving you a grade! It tells me that the student wants to learn only the minimum possible to get the grade, never mind that with this mindset they are unlikely to retain “crammed” information and principles.

A similar dynamic is at play when a GRE candidate tells me that “ I just want to get the test over with. Show me how.” Because of the way the GRE is built, this approach cannot produce a personal best score. I believe that the GRE is deliberately engineered to be undefeatable with information and rules alone. It forces you to go, in your thinking, to a level of problem-solving above the actual math involved. While it is possible to bring your Math skills up to date in a “how-to” way, enough to perform well in Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics, when it comes to preparing for the GRE, you need to have the coursework at your fingertips in order to unwrap the GRE packaging it’s in.

And this comes from a deeper, more holistic approach to prepping for the exam. One way to achieve this is with working with an experienced tutor, who can work with you on “unwrapping” the Quant questions.

Example of a GRE "Arithmetic" Question

If you are beginning your preparation for the GRE Quantitative Section, you might start with the Arithmetic chapter in your prep materials. (I recommend the Manhattan 5 lb GRE Practice Problems.)

Keep in mind, though, that the makers of the GRE can and do create spaghetti out of the most basic arithmetic. Why do they do this? I will explain more in another post, but there are some reasons we can infer right off. They are not testing whether you can do arithmetic—it is a given for achieving a credible score—but rather, how well you can reason quantitatively using arithmetic. And arithmetic is only the beginning.

Here is an example:

On a certain planet, they have sold 2.3 billion lottery tickets. 1 in 50 million are winners. How many winners are there? (The online calculator allowed on the exam handles up to 8 digits only.)

(A) 5
(B) 4.6
(C) 46
(D) 460
(E) 4600

Solution:

Alternatively, you could use scientific notation. But, you cannot brute force the large numbers into the calculator. Many of my new students rely heavily on the calculator, but not for long (heh heh).

This problem is testing your facility with place value, and your attention to detail. It may seem basic, but many candidates need to review.

Some people will be able to do this problem mentally, but be careful—it’s easy to lose a decimal place or two.

Regarding Tips and Tricks on the GRE Quant (Math) Section

“Tips” and “Tricks” is a buzz-phrase for almost any exam. Mainly because it implies using some kind of shortcut to get a correct answer while avoiding having to understand and apply concepts.

When it comes to the GRE, I have plenty of tips and suggestions for you, but sadly, no tricks.

The GRE is a tightly engineered exam, so much so that it seems to own the “trick” department. It begs the question: how and why does it seem to the exam taker that “they” are trying to trick you?

After years helping students prepare for the GRE, I think that ….. often when we feel that they are trying to “trick us—that is the real test. I have expressed many times the idea that the GRE Quant section tests a variety of skills. (Really, I don’t see how they would care if you know how to solve a specific Algebra 2 problem—the Subject tests are available if needed.) So, we need to take a look at the various types of skills needed to achieve a good score, and assume that is what they are testing for. And we use our prep time to develop those skills.

Easy Ways to Raise Your GRE or SAT Quant Score - Part I

As you may already know, getting a couple more questions right on the the GRE Quantitative section can increase your score or percentile by a few points. Same for the SAT and ACT. So, I am always on the alert to identify “low hanging fruit.” —easy ways to accomplish a boost. Here are two suggestions.

1. Paper, board for practice. Are you taking notes or practicing on ruled binder paper? This kind of paper was not made to do Math!! Use unlined paper or graph paper with light lines. I have found that students can be very stubborn about trying this! But I am firmly convinced that ruled paper is an impediment to the logical processes that need to be worked out on paper. Back in the pre-pandemic days when it was possible to meet in person for tutoring, I used to bring along a small whiteboard with markers. Every student to whom I offered the choice of paper or whiteboard preferred to work on the whiteboard. I presume it was because they could write large; the college ruled lines didn’t interfere. Of course the graph paper is handy for sketching curves.

2. Repeat specific example problems. There are certain problems that are worth reworking a number of times until you almost have them memorized. Choosing the right ones can help solidify multiple concepts so that they become a virtual mental reference for you.

   Here is an example using what the makers of the GRE call a “symbol function.”

The example above provides practice for:

1. Not panicking when you see a new symbol

2. Using substitution with expressions (not just values)

3. Remembering that taking the square root of both sides of the equation requires the “plus or minus” sign.

GRE Quant: You can't trick the test—use “keys” instead

It often seems that, regarding standardized test prep, there is a demand for lists of “tips and tricks” to outsmart the test and improve your math scores with minimal effort.

I like to think of them more as “keys”—a different metaphor, because, in my years of experience tutoring GRE candidates, I have come to believe that the test is actually trick-proof. That said, we can learn about specific “keys” that can help unlock a possible solution to an unfamiliar question.

Here is an example using a Quantitative Comparison question:

Here is a “key:”

Recognize this as a scare tactic. The numerals are switched to create some visual spaghetti.

1. Translate into a Math sentence using: ____% of _____ = _____.

2. Calculate each side of the equation.

Since the quantities are equal, the answer would be “C” on your answer sheet.

While we all are certainly behind employing tips and tricks to get more questions right and improve scores, these are really adjunct to the actual content knowledge and/or skills needed to achieve high scores.

When viewed as more of a boost, though, they really can help. If you already have some knowledge of the math principles, those can provide that key you might need to complete the problem.

The GRE Isn't an Achievement Test

Actually, the GRE is partly an achievement test. But, I chose the above title because I believe that thinking of the GRE as an achievement test doesn’t help much, and can even hinder your preparation efforts.

An achievement test is about what you know, as opposed to how you problem-solve using what you know. This is because the majority of the questions have twists and turns, like spaghetti, and it is our job to unravel it. So, as we study and practice, we learn how to unravel it, learn some strategies, and create a game plan.

It can help tremendously to adjust how we think about the test. (It’s not just a perceived barrier to acceptance into the graduate program of your choice.) What is the test trying to do? What does it (the authors, actually) want to know about me and my thinking skills?

General Strategies For the GRE (Graduate Record Exam)

The GRE is a challenging exam! Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you embark upon your preparation plan:

1. Most of the questions, both Verbal and Quantitative, require a certain amount of “unpacking.” Very few are the type of direct questions you might find in a high school or college course. Most of them have twists and turns.

2. Familiarize yourself with a conversion chart showing raw scores, scaled scores, and percentiles. This will give you a general idea about how many questions you need to do correctly in order to reach your goal score or percentile.

3. Take the diagnostic test on the ets.org website.

4. It’s better not to prepare completely on your own; Take a class, get help from a friend who has taken the GRE, or get private tutoring.

5. Taking the test “cold” with no prep, is kind of a waste. Everyone needs some kind of preparation to achieve his or her highest score.

6. Consistency is key! Taking an hour once per week is like going to the gym for an hour once a week; it’s better than nothing, but you probably will not see a lot of progress. How much time you will need in order to enjoy the benefits of consistency depends upon your current relationship to the material covered. If you just finished your undergraduate degree in Chemistry, for example, you might need only to work on strategies for the Quantitative section, since you are already current on much of the Math.

   However, if you received your graduate degree in History and haven’t looked much at Math in the last 5 years, you would need to block out regular times to get current on the material.

I am banning the word "confuse"

Ahhh.......the dreaded "c" word.  It should be expunged from the tutoring vocabulary.

"I'm confuuuuused.."
This is confusing.
They are trying to confuse you.

And, not to forget the cousins of "confuse," such as "they are trying to trick you" or "I always get these kind of questions wrong."

We all know the power of words, and how they reinforce mental concepts.

How simple it is to turn these around.

“I need help on these kinds of problems.”
”What are they testing in this question?”
”I have a question.”
”How can I get started on this question?”

Try changing your words next time! Let me know how it helps!