The College Board states that the no-calculator section makes it easier to assess a student’s expertise in math and ability to interpret and apply multiple math concepts. While it seems that this might slow a student down, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the numbers are going to be harder to calculate. A student will need the same basic knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, order of operations, and factoring.
Students weak or slow in these basic root topics should consider tutoring or review. For high scorers, the no-calculator math section won’t have much of an impact as long as they can avoid careless calculation errors. In addition, there is no guessing penalty, so students should not become overly anxious about possible mistakes without a calculator.
