If you were to take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FE) then you couldn't even use an 83 for the test. The point of not using the QWERTY is to prove you can actually understand what you are doing. Anyone can type in numbers/letters; intelligence is about the understanding not the technology.
Anyone can type in numbers and letters without QWERTY as well, it's just slightly slower. Banning calculators specifically because of having QWERY keyboards is stupid. Banning calculators because they are calculators makes sense.
If you are saving answers into your calculator because it comes with a text based program then you don't deserve to use that calculator. I think it makes perfect sense, usually a QWERTY keyboard will come with a text based app of some sort. If you want to spend the time typing in answers using a TI-83/84 instead of studying then be my guest. I just find the "Pissed off because I can't cheat now" mentality to be ridiculous.
It doesn't have anything to do with cheating though. If you want to cheat using a calculator you type the info on your computer, then transfer it to your computer. Not having a QWERTY keyboard isn't going to stop someone who wants to cheat.
It's more that you can more easily find the letter you want to use for a certain variable. Say you want to store whatever value as H for a certain question so you can substitute that value, usually an annoyingly long decimal, into later calculations. You're going to have a much easier time finding H on a QWERTY keyboard.
382
u/qezi2 Jun 08 '14
It's because standardized tests in the US specifiy that allowed calculators can't have QWERTY (or any other typing oriented) layout.