is purchasing your own graphing calculator worth it?Answered
hello! upcoming junior here! :)
currently, i am preparing for both the psat & sat. it has been difficult working on math problems requiring a graphing calculator since i have to use the demos digital graphing calculator. i have been considering buying my own ti-84 plus ce, which costs $120 at target right now. i want to buy one so that i can always have access to the same calculators we are provided with at school.
pros:
-i am used to its controls and therefore can accurately assess my performance in math time-wise for testing.
-purchasing my own graphing calculator guarantees that i will have a calculator when it comes to the actual testing day.
-it will be much easier to use compared to the digital graphing calculators i use.
the one problem is the price. does anyone on here have a ti-84 plus ce? was it worth it? should i buy one?
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4 answers
Hey, fellow rising junior!
I have been an owner of the Ti-84 Plus CE for over 3ish years now. Of course, this may be biased, but I love it! I'm not an expert on calculators or anything though lol. I've used other calculators before and I've found that this calculator is better not only for the actual math part but also for storage as well. I've found other calculators to be too bulky and big to fit in my pencil case, but the Ti-84 Plus CE is slim and perfect for slipping into my bag or pencil case. When I bought my calculator (from Target), I actually got it for near $99. I'm pretty sure it was on sale because of Back to School Time. I think if you wait a little longer (maybe the week before/of you start school), you can probably get it down to this price at Target. But that was the case of my local Target, so I don't know if all Target's do this. I really think it is worth it because not only can you use it for math classes, but you can also put programs on the calculator to help during the PSAT/SAT (I realize you can do this with any calculator, but it's worth the mention). In regards to price, I actually just looked on Amazon, it costs normally $118, and if you have Wikibuy you can get $34 for a total of $102. Hope this helps!
[deleted]
Hi! Also a rising junior, and have owned a Ti-Nspire CX-CAS since the end of freshman year.
In my opinion, if you’re already considering dropping that amount of money on a calculator, you should go with the Nspire CX-CAS (be it the new or old one, both are great). It’s an extra $30, but the interface is much easier to work with, when compared to the Ti-84.
If you’re already used to the Ti-84, then go for it. I have no doubt that my Nspire paid off within months of buying it. I used it for all of my calculations in PreCalc, AP Physics and Chemistry last year on a daily basis. Am currently using it for my Calc prep course and SAT prep. It’s great. Plus, I believe the Ti-84 also can store notes (including a list of equations).
Buy it. You won’t regret it.
I would look on Facebook marketplace for one. They are a lot less expensive used, and work the same. In my town, a lot of the college students are moving into new apartments and selling a lot of their stuff.
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Looking at Amazon again, that bargain is only for the Black one, so if you want the fancy colors like Mint or Blue, Amazon is not the way to go.