Find the Right Calculator

Students are expected to bring a graphing calculator to the AP Statistics Exam and to the AP Calculus Exam. These calculators should have specific computational capabilities. The College Board has prepared a list of calculators that have all of the capabilities needed for both exams.

AP Calculator Review

We found many of the AP-approved calculators at Amazon.com, and evaluated each on the following criteria.

  • Price: The price of a new or used calculator, as of August 19, 2018.
  • User rating: From 1 (unacceptable) to 5 (excellent).

Evaluation findings are summarized below.

MakeModelNew
price		Used
price		User
rating		Num
raters
CasioFX-9750GPLUS$129.95$11.613.538
CasioCFX-9850GC PLUS$19.993.539
CasioFX-CG10$117.29$69.994.5218
CasioFX-9860GII$64.35$43.954.6254
CasioFX9750GII$41.99$59.004.5655
Hewlett PackardF2226A$85.993.531
Hewlett Packard39G+$99.99$29.994.05
Hewlett PackardHP50G$85.434.5871
Texas InstrumentsN3CAS/CLM/2L1Too low to display$120.004.62006
Texas InstrumentsFBA_84PLCE/TBL/1L1/W$118.00$135.994.813
Texas InstrumentsTI84PLSCELIGHTNTI84PLSCELIGHTN$138.994.476
Texas Instruments84PL/PWB/2L1/A$101.00$74.554.53908
Texas Instruments84PLCE/TBL/1L1$126.99$114.954.51448
Texas Instruments83PL/TBL/1L1$84.01$34.954.02112
Texas InstrumentsTI-84 PLUS SILV$270.00$66.554.0871
Texas Instruments84PLSE/CLM/ILI/E$249.99$77.944.0139
Texas InstrumentsNSCAS/PWB/1L1$199.99$24.554.3188
Texas InstrumentsTINSPIRECXCASFF$139.01$127.774.5427
Texas InstrumentsN2/CLM/1L1$95.00$50.004.1186
Texas InstrumentsN3/GC/1L1/B$127.99$101.554.3854
Texas InstrumentsTI89 TITANIUM$124.51$64.504.31030
Texas Instruments84PLSE/TBL/1L1/D$229.89$73.954.2150
Texas InstrumentsNS/CLM/1L1/B$173.99$19.553.9162

We only reported results for calculators that received reasonably acceptable ratings from students (i.e., calculators that received a satisfaction rating of at least 3.5 on a 5-point scale). Prices are current, as of August 19, 2018.

Recommendations

The best calculator for you depends on your personal needs. Here are some things to consider.

  • Cost. If you want a new calculator at a low price, choose the FX9750GII. If you want a used calculator at a low price, choose the FX-9750GPLUS.
  • User satisfaction. The highest rated calculator was the FBA_84PLCE/TBL/1L1/W, with a satisfaction rating of 4.8.
  • Peace of mind. If you are looking for a calculator with a favorable satisfaction score based on ratings from a large number of users, consider the FX-9860GII or the N3CAS/CLM/2L1. Both calculators received a satisfaction score of 4.6, based on ratings from at least 100 users.

One More Thing . . .

It is important for each student to bring an AP-approved graphing calculator to the exam. Here's why.

  • The test developers assume that students will have an approved calculator. Students without a calculator will be at a disadvantage.
  • Non-graphing scientific calculators, portable computers, and devices with QWERTY keyboards (e.g., TI-92 plus, TI-Voyage 200) are not permitted. Proctors will check calculators before the exam.

* AP and Advanced Placement Program are registered trademarks of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this website.