Graphing Calculators Allowed on the SAT and ACT
Check before you go. Exam board policies change. This page reflects the published rules as of September 2026 and is a starting point, not an authority. Confirm on the official College Board and ACT websites before test day, and take their answer over ours. Grafolyn is not affiliated with the College Board, ACT Inc., or any calculator manufacturer.
The rules are simpler than they look. Almost every standard graphing calculator is allowed, anything with a computer algebra system is not, and anything that connects to the internet is never permitted under any circumstances.
The one rule that explains the rest
Exam boards ban two categories, and knowing which category a device falls into answers most questions without consulting a list.
- Computer algebra systems (CAS). A CAS manipulates symbols rather than numbers: it can factor an expression, solve an equation in terms of x, or differentiate symbolically. That would trivialise questions designed to test exactly those skills.
- Anything that can communicate. Phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches and any device with wireless capability. The concern here is not capability but the possibility of receiving help.
A standard graphing calculator does neither. It graphs, it computes numerically, and it cannot talk to anyone.
The SAT
The SAT is now delivered digitally, which changed things. Every student gets a built-in Desmos graphing calculator inside the Bluebook testing application, available throughout the maths section.
You may also bring your own approved handheld calculator, and many students do — partly for familiarity, partly as insurance against a technical problem.
Generally permitted
- Most graphing calculators, including the TI-84 Plus family
- All scientific calculators
- Four-function calculators, though they are of limited use
Not permitted
- Any phone, tablet, laptop or smartwatch
- Calculators with a QWERTY keyboard
- Models that need mains power
- Anything with internet or wireless capability
- Devices that make noise or produce paper tape
The College Board publishes a current list of acceptable models. Check yours against it rather than assuming.
The ACT
The ACT permits a calculator on the maths section only, and its restrictions are tighter than the SAT's in one respect: it explicitly bans CAS models.
Permitted
- TI-84 Plus and TI-83 families
- TI-Nspire, the non-CAS version
- Casio fx-9750 and fx-9860 series
- Most HP graphing models without CAS
- Any scientific or four-function calculator
Prohibited
- TI-89 and TI-92 families, and the TI-Nspire CAS — all have a computer algebra system
- Casio ClassPad and fx-CP400, also CAS
- HP Prime in CAS mode, and the HP 48GII and 50g
- Anything with a QWERTY keyboard
- Any phone, tablet or connected device
The TI-89 is the one that catches people out. It is a capable calculator and it is banned from the ACT. If you have inherited one from an older sibling, check the model number on the back before test day rather than at the door.
AP exams
AP policies vary by subject, and this is where most confusion arises.
| Exam | Calculator policy |
|---|---|
| AP Calculus AB and BC | Graphing calculator required on part of the exam. CAS models are permitted here, unlike on the ACT. |
| AP Statistics | Graphing calculator with statistics capability expected throughout. |
| AP Physics 1 and 2 | Scientific or graphing calculator allowed throughout. |
| AP Chemistry | Scientific or graphing calculator on the free-response section only. |
| AP Precalculus | Graphing calculator required on part of the exam. |
Note the inconsistency: a TI-89 is fine for AP Calculus and banned on the ACT. The policies are set by different organisations for different reasons, so check each exam separately.
Why online calculators are never allowed
Every online graphing calculator, ours included, runs in a web browser on a device that can reach the internet. That is the disqualifying feature, and no amount of offline capability changes it. You cannot use this site, or any other, during a standardised test.
The digital SAT's built-in Desmos is the single exception, and only because it runs inside the locked testing application, which has no access to anything else.
What an online calculator is genuinely good for is the months beforehand: homework, checking answers, understanding what a function looks like, and exploring what changes when a parameter changes. That is where the learning happens.
Practising the right way
- Learn the mathematics anywhere. Understanding what a graph shows is device-independent, and an online tool is faster for that.
- Switch to your exam device in the final weeks. Keystrokes are muscle memory and they take time to build.
- Practise the specific operations under time. Finding a zero, finding an intersection, running a regression. These are the ones that cost time when you are hunting through menus.
- Fit a real timed section using only the exam device. This is the only way to find out whether you are fluent or merely familiar.
- Fresh batteries, the night before. Every year someone loses a section to this.
Our TI-84 keystroke guide covers the CALC menu operations worth drilling, and the regression guide covers the statistics workflow.
Questions
Can I use an online graphing calculator during the SAT or ACT?
No. Anything that connects to the internet or runs on a phone, tablet or laptop is prohibited. The digital SAT includes a built-in Desmos calculator inside the testing application itself, which is the only on-screen graphing tool permitted.
Is a TI-84 allowed on the ACT?
Yes. The TI-84 Plus family is permitted on the ACT. Models with a computer algebra system, such as the TI-89 and TI-Nspire CAS, are not.
Do I need a graphing calculator at all?
Not strictly. Every question is solvable without one. A graphing calculator saves time on some questions and helps you check answers, which is worth real marks under time pressure.
What happens if my calculator is not allowed?
It is confiscated for the duration of the test, and you sit the calculator section without one. Check the current list on the exam board website before test day, not on the morning.
Can I practise with an online calculator and still be ready?
Only partly. The mathematics transfers; the keystrokes do not. Practise the last few weeks on the device you will actually take in, so that finding a zero or an intersection is automatic.