The 10 Best Scientific Calculators

A sharp, high-contrast screen on the Casio fx-9910CW shows fractions, roots and integrals as a textbook prints them, and icon menus let you pick a mode instead of memorizing keys. It solves equations, handles matrices and complex numbers, and holds a small spreadsheet. It can't draw graphs, but a QR code opens them online. Casio lists it for the SAT, ACT, AP and IB exams, and engineers should check the FE exam list first. The many shortcuts take practice.

Engineering students get nearly everything they need without a graphing model in the TI-36X Pro, and it's allowed on the FE and PE engineering exams plus the SAT, ACT and AP. Its four-line screen shows fractions and symbols in textbook form and lets you scroll back through earlier work. It solves equations and linear systems, works with vectors, matrices and complex numbers, and finds derivatives and integrals. It's noticeably slow, and many functions hide behind the second-function key.

For budget classrooms, the TI-30XS MultiView has a four-line screen that shows stacked fractions, roots and exponents as they look on paper. It converts fractions and decimals, builds a table of values, runs basic statistics and works on solar power with a battery backup. It's the official GED calculator, and it's allowed on the SAT, ACT and AP and the FE and PE engineering exams. It has no equation solver or matrices, and some units fail within weeks.

Many American math teachers build lessons around the TI-84 Plus CE, so class notes and tutorials often follow its keys. It plots functions in color, shows fractions in textbook form, and runs statistics, finance tools and apps. The rechargeable battery lasts up to a month, TI says, and the box includes a four-year subscription to an online version. It's allowed on the SAT, ACT and AP exams. The price is high, and batteries can stop holding a charge.

Engineering students have leaned on the Casio fx-115ES PLUS for years, and it's allowed on the FE and PE engineering exams. This second edition changed little beyond its white case. It packs about 280 functions, including an equation solver, matrices, vectors, complex numbers and numeric calculus, and its display shows fractions and roots in textbook form. Popular Mechanics named it its top scientific calculator. The screen looks coarse, and there's no spreadsheet or QR-code graphing.

Small enough for a shirt pocket, the Casio fx-260 Solar II covers trig, logs, exponents, fractions and basic statistics on a one-line screen. A solar cell powers it, it switches itself off, and a hard cover protects the keys. It's allowed on the SAT, ACT and AP exams and suits chemistry and general science classes. The single line can't show a whole expression or stacked fractions, and it isn't on the approved list for the FE and PE engineering exams.

The TI-Nspire CX II works more like a small computer than a classic calculator. Its color screen holds graphs, geometry, spreadsheets and notes in saved documents, a touchpad moves the cursor, and it runs Python programs. This version lacks symbolic algebra, so it's allowed on the SAT, PSAT, ACT, AP and IB exams, but not the FE and PE engineering exams. The menus take a while to learn, and the price is high.

Students who need graphing without paying full price can turn to the Casio fx-9750GIII. It graphs several kinds of functions, solves equations, and runs statistics and spreadsheets. It runs Python programs, and batteries and a hard cover come in the box. Casio lists it for the SAT, ACT, AP and IB exams. The black-and-white screen is low in resolution, fewer teachers know its keystrokes, and a few units give wrong answers or fail early.

A longtime classroom staple, the TI-30XIIS shows your entry on top and the answer below, so you can check what you typed before moving on. It covers trig, logs, fractions, unit conversions and basic statistics, runs on solar power with a battery backup, and is tough enough to ride around in a backpack. It's allowed on the SAT, ACT and AP and the FE and PE engineering exams. Fractions show inline rather than stacked, and there's no table of values.

Students and engineers who want symbolic math are the audience for the HP Prime G2, whose algebra system can simplify, factor and solve equations with variables, not just numbers. The color touchscreen supports pinch-to-zoom on graphs, and it adds geometry, a spreadsheet, programming and a stack-based entry mode many engineers prefer. The catch is serious: the College Board and ACT both ban it, whatever a seller's description says, so it suits college courses and work, not those tests.