Which Calculator Should I Get?
There’s a plethora of calculators for GCSE maths and beyond, available at different prices. It doesn’t matter which calculator you get, as long as you are confident with it. I recommend that you look at what your school recommends or uses. A lot of the schools recommend the Casio fx series such as the 83GT or the 85GT. If you get something other than what the school recommends, it’s possible that your teacher will not be familiar with it and will be unable to demonstrate certain things in class.
Unfortunately, phone calculators aren’t allowed in the exam hall!
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Here are some of the considerations you need to make when choosing the best scientific calculator for GCSE maths, and for you.
Scientific
As discussed previously, for the maths GCSE you need to get a scientific calculator. A traditional calculator just doesn’t have the functionality you need to complete the GCSE exams at all – in fact, it would be almost as unhelpful as taking an abacus.
Natural display
The beauty of a natural display calculator is that the screen looks just as it would if you wrote the equation down – none of this old fashioned block numbers which could be constructed from matchsticks.
Solar powered or battery?
There’s nothing worse than running out of battery when you are sitting a GCSE maths exam. If you do go for the battery operated version, ensure you have a spare battery in your pencil case. Most calculators, such as the Casio scientific calculator range, do however have solar powered functions as part of their two way power system, so this is not a risk.
Troubleshooting
With everything, you need to consider what to do if you are stuck with a product. With some of the most popular calculators such as the Casio, you’ll be able to find a wealth of resources on Youtube for help. This may not be the case for less popular brands of calculator.
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