Calculator Policy

Calculators are not permitted in the Sprint and Countdown Rounds, but they are permitted in the Target, Team and Tiebreaker (if needed) Rounds. When calculators are permitted, students may use any calculator (including programmable and graphing calculators) that does not contain a QWERTY (typewriter-like) keypad. Calculators that have the ability to enter letters of the alphabet but do not have a keypad in a standard typewriter arrangement are acceptable.

Smart phones, laptops, iPads®, iPods®, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and any other “smart” devices are not considered to be calculators and may not be used during competitions. Students may not use calculators to exchange information with another person or device during the competition.

Coaches are responsible for ensuring that their students use acceptable calculators, and students are responsible for providing their own calculators.

Coordinators are not responsible for providing Mathletes with calculators or batteries before or during MATHCOUNTS competitions. Coaches are strongly advised to bring backup calculators and spare batteries to the competition for their team members in case of a malfunctioning calculator or weak or dead batteries. Neither the MATHCOUNTS Foundation nor coordinators shall be responsible for the consequences of a calculator’s malfunctioning.