GED guideTesting rules
GED Calculator Rules: What You Can Use and When
Math part 2, science, and social studies can include an on-screen calculator. A test-center TI-30XS is not the same permission as an online session.
Short answer
On the GED test, an on-screen calculator is available on part 2 of Mathematical Reasoning and on the Science and Social Studies tests. At a test center you may use your own TI-30XS where the rules allow it. Online, you cannot use a physical calculator. Language arts is not listed with calculator access. A calculator does not choose the operation for you, and the formula sheet does not replace that choice.
Where a calculator shows up
GED.com’s subject overview and the Texas Education Agency’s testing-staff note agree on the shape of the rule. They do not say every item on every test has a calculator.
| Subject and setting | What the sources support |
|---|---|
| Math, part 2 | On-screen calculator. The overview also lists a calculator reference sheet and a formula sheet. |
| Math, some part 1 items | The math subject page’s published sample says a calculator would not be available on that ordering question. Do not assume the whole test is calculator-on. |
| Math, test center | Your own TI-30XS is allowed. The 115-minute clock includes a 3-minute break between parts to retrieve it. |
| Science and social studies | On-screen calculator access is listed. A test center may allow a TI-30XS. Texas’s staff note says that handheld is for math and for some science and social studies items. |
| Any online session | No physical calculator and no physical scratch paper. Use the on-screen calculator, scratch pad, and whiteboard. |
| Language arts | The subject overview does not list a calculator. |
Practice the on-screen tool before test day if you can. GED.com points testers to its calculator tutorial from the online-testing page. A phone calculator app is not that tool, and a phone is a prohibited personal item in an online session.
A calculator does not pick the setup
Try this original item both ways.
A parking garage charges $3 to enter and $2.50 per hour. A receipt is $13. How many hours is that?
With or without a calculator, the equation is 3 + 2.50h = 13. Then 2.50h = 10, so h = 4. A calculator helps with 10 ÷ 2.50. It does not tell you to subtract the $3 first. If you divide 13 by 2.50 immediately, you get 5.2 hours, which answers a different question.
The formula sheet has the same limit. GED.com says you do not have to memorize formulas. You still have to decide which relationship the sentence describes. Practice that choice on original math items. The practice is not a replica of the on-screen TI-30XS, and it is not permission to bring a different model.
How to rehearse without copying test-day rules
At home, do the first math items with the calculator covered, then uncover it for a second set. If you will test online, rehearse with a mouse and an on-screen pad, not with a handheld you will have to put away. If you will test at a center, confirm the TI-30XS is the model your state still lists on the day you go. Rules can change. The official page, not this article, is the last check.
Trust the source
Official sources
Exam policies can change. Use these primary sources for the most current details.