Graphic calculator tips to ease exam pressure

Exam season is inching ever closer, and it’s fair to say that A-level maths examinations are among the toughest tests any secondary school student will face.

The last thing you need when sitting your papers is wasted time, which is why it’s important that you can use your calculator as confidently and efficiently as possible.

In this blog, we share some tips on how to ensure you’re doing exactly that, with insights and pointers from our principal technology trainer, Simon May.

Stick to what you know

Like any tool, a graphic calculator is only beneficial if you know how to operate it. Using your handset incorrectly or inefficiently can actually be a hindrance in an exam, potentially causing unnecessary confusion and stress.

With that in mind, it’s best to stick to the functionality you’re comfortable with and that you know will help you answer questions and save time in your exams.

You may be aware that your graphic calculator has the capability to sketch parametric curves and find their derivatives, for example. But if you’re not 100% confident about how to do this on the handset, exams aren’t the time to start improvising and investigating.

Instead, stick to the apps and operations you’ve used frequently in the classroom with the guidance of your teacher.

That might include:

• Using SolveN to find numerical solutions to equations and back up your algebraic work
• Graphing and analysing functions in Graph mode
• Drawing tangents to curves and finding their equations
• Using Table mode to generate and analyse tables of values
• Calculating and visualising probability distributions in Distribution mode
• Using Equation mode to substitute values into equations with multiple variables

Use time-saving tricks

As well as taking full advantage of the core functionality and tools available on your graphic calculator, there are some handy tricks and shortcuts you can use to boost your efficiency in exams.

Storing variables

Simon pointed out that graphing handsets offer different ways to recall values you’ve entered or calculated.

If, for example, you perform a calculation that gives you a long decimal answer that you need to use in a subsequent calculation, you can store that as one of the calculator’s 28 variables. These are denoted by the letters of the alphabet, plus r and 𝛳.

When you need to recall the value, all you have to do is enter the relevant letter. This saves time and also reduces the risk of manual input errors, which can easily creep in when you’re working with complex values.

Using the Ans key

The same principle applies to the calculator’s answer memory, which is accessed via the Ans key.

This allows you to recall the result of the last calculation performed, meaning you don’t have to worry about writing values down or remembering them, which can waste time and lead to mistakes.

Extracting values from different modes

It’s possible to extract a value when working in one mode on your graphic calculator, to use in another mode. Simon provided an example of how this works in the Distribution app.

“If you calculate a probability in Distribution mode, that will be stored as P on the calculator,” he said. “You can then go into Run-Matrix and extract that value by going into the variable data menu, or using the VARS key on the fx-CG50. That’s really useful if you need to do another operation with that value.”

Another example of how this can work is when you store a function in Graph mode. If you were to store x² – 1 in the Y1 field, for example, you could then access and apply this function data in other modes simply by entering Y1.

This can be particularly useful when you need to do more involved operations, such as entering a long function into the calculator’s differentiation template.

Storing something like a complex quartic function as Y1 can help you save time and avoid errors when you need to use it again.

Always expand listed values

Another handy tip to minimise easily avoidable mistakes – particularly when working with probabilities and making rounding decisions – is to expand values displayed in lists and tables.

When these values are shown in apps such as Statistics, Table and Distribution, they will be truncated. Make sure you navigate to the results you’re interested in to view the full decimal value, so you can do any necessary rounding and give your answer to the requested number of decimal places.

Remember handy exam day practices

On your exam days, there are some small but useful steps you can take to make your life easier and remove any unnecessary stress.

For example, you might find it useful to:

• Refresh your memory on how to adjust the display brightness, in case bright conditions in the exam hall make it difficult to see the screen
• Check your calculator’s time-out settings, so you don’t have to worry about repeatedly waking up a blank screen
• Pack some spare batteries!

Check out our revision webinars

Every spring, and frequently in the autumn, we host student revision webinars focusing on both GCSE and A-level maths exams.

These events are led by our calculator experts and provide practical examples of how your device can help you answer exam questions.

You can also keep an eye on the Casio Education blog for more exam preparation tips, ideas and resources.

Best of luck for your exams!