TI-83 or TI-89 or TI-92 plus for SAT 1?

[chess9]

My 12 year old daughter will be taking the SAT 1 on January 27 next year. I understand these calculators are now allowed. Which one should I get her and why? I've only got about three months to teach her geometry, trig and how to use this calculator!

 

[Regine]

Your 12 year old daughter is taking the SAT's????
We took them in our junior and senior year of high school.

 

[konichiwa]

Is it the Duke program? I took that when I was in 7th grade, it's basically a Duke-sponsored program that gives young kids the SATs and then...there's some kind of summer camp or something if you do well, I don't know, I didn't go to it. I did do pretty well on the test for 12 yrs. old though, about 1350.

To answer your question...I think the TI-83 is allowed.

 

[Mday]

the 92 is NOT allowed since it has a qwerty keyboard.

the 89 is allowed, but it's stupid to get one for her now. you can go for the ti 73 (seventy something) something or other...

12 year old huh, special program? my sister did that. 89 and 92 are overkill since some of the specialized functions are useless for SATs.

the 83 is fine, but also has functions she will be puzzled about.

i hardly remember there being any questions about differential or integral calculus on the SATs... nor differential geometry...

 

[Mday]

i only took the SATs once, and i screwed up on it. =(

i did okay, but it was not 1600 =(

 

[Spoooon]

SAT is a piece of cake with any calculator. Geometry is never hard. Trig is a little more complicated. Personally, I would go with the TI-89. I used an HP-48 and didn't really have to do anything complicated.

I took a Pre-SAT in 6th grade or so. I scored the equivalent of an 1100. Pretty good I suppose. Good luck to your daughter.

 

[Regine]

I'd agree - 89 and 92 have too much confusing things. Get an 83 or below.
Good luck to her

 

[Imported]

Going from a TI-83 Plus to a TI-89 is really easy. I'd go with either the TI-83 Plus or TI-89, depending on how far your daughter plans to go with math.

 

[konichiwa]

I think 83...she can use the 83 all the way through high school as well.

 

[randomlinh]

any ol' scientific calc will do.

And if you got 1350 on the SAT's when you were 12, i hate you

 

[SuperTool]

I recommend the 89. It will last her through the end of college and beyond. Just like my TI-85 for me. Unless she is prone to losing things, in which case, get a $10 scientific calculator. You don't really need anything extra fancy for SATs. Ti-92 is not allowed, and it's not practical. If you are gonna carry something this bulky around, better off getting a laptop with MATLAB.

Oh, make sure your daughter gets comfortable with the calculator doing the homework and such things. Ti's are fairly intuitive, but on SAT's time is everything. Not that it matters what you get on tests in 7th grade anyways. I don't think I broke 1100 when I took PSAT's, and still got 1480 on my SATs (After I learned some English).

 

[chess9]

ToolGirl:

Yes, she's a Duke TIP scholar in math. (I'm still looking for the father. )

Costco has the TI-83 for about $70, so I guess that will do.

How long will it take me to learn it? I'm 57 and haven't had any math since differential equations in 1966! I'm also twice as dumb as I was then!

But then, two times zero is still, uh, is still, uh....zero?

She took the practice verbal section, which is her weakness, and scored about 480+. Those Miller Analogies are tough when you're a math geek.

So, I figure she's ready to play basketball for Indiana University, SAT-wise that is.

Her math practice test is this weekend. That should be quite a bit better.

Any tips for her?

 

[Napalm381]

If she has taken algebra, those parts of the test will be a cinch. But at 12, her geometry and trig probably need some polishing. Best thing to do is just look at practice tests for samples and study those types of problems.

Even if she doesn't do so hot this year, it's no biggie. Can't remember what I got at that age, but it sure wasn't 800. By the time it matters (when she's 17/18), she'll have way more experience than she needs to do well on it. I aced the math twice, in a few years she'll probably be in the same category.

 

[Napalm381]

I forgot the easist tip of all...no matter how confident you are in your answers, go back and DOUBLE CHECK! Even math geeks make mistakes at times. The SAT is not a test of mathematical ingenuity, it's a test of being careful with details.

 

[Spoooon]

I sucked at the math part. I got a 690. I might have aced it had I taken it again. Verbal was a piece of cake, but I always liked reading.

Like I said before, Geometry is easy. Trig is a little bit more complicated. Learning the calculator isn't hard at all. I spent a better part of high school writing games for the TI-82. My best game was Tetris, superior to the other versions I found on the web I might add! Another favorite at my high school was battleship using 2 linked TI-82s.

Just using the calculator daily for homework etc is the way to go. The functions she doesn't use, she doesn't need to learn.

 

[konichiwa]

I don't remember it all that well, however I don't think we took the entire SATs but that was the "projected" score. Ask Mark R or Kranky if that's right according to logic and statistics.

 

[chess9]

Napalm:

Great tip. Yes, being careful is her strong point, but I will emphasize it.

Yes, this is no big deal because of her age, but the TIP program has been expanded recently and is going to be broadened even further. The opportunities for camps, scholarships, etc., are on the upswing. I've noticed, though, that there seems to be a trend away from test taking and relying on SAT scores by the colleges. Oh, well. I'll pray for the best.

Thanks to everyone. Many excellent tips.

If she scores over 1000, I'll post her score.

 

[Quickfingerz]

The TI-89 differentiates and integrates equations for you and so it will be of valuable use for the time that she takes calc. That alone is reason enought to get the TI-89.

I'm a proud owner of a TI-89 and I love it! I love the games too.

 

[Viper GTS]

The 92+ does everything an 89 does, & does it much more elegantly. The full qwerty keyboard, directional pad, & the pull down menus make it an EASY calculator to learn. My dad and I both have 92's, mine is a 92+.

If they're now allowed on the SAT's, I would HIGHLY recommend them. They're worth every penny of their purchase price, & I have $300 into mine so far.

Viper GTS

 

[chess9]

QuickFingerz:

Thanks for that support for the one I bought her. Should be here tomorrow. Now I have to learn it and teach it to her.

Why can't these girls just go and get married? j/k

 

[Imported]

I had an 83-Plus before switching over to the 89. I must say it was one of the easiest transitions between calculators I've ever had. I tried my friends 86 and didn't even know where to start.. Anyways, for SATs, almost any calculator will do, but I'd go with the 89 if you plan on keeping it for a while.

 

[BigSmooth]

I took the SATs in 7th grade through a Johns Hopkins program.

 

[chess9]

Viper:

They aren't allowed. Too bad. Nice calculator. I looked at it at Staples. Actually, I lusted at it.

By the way, she took the math practice test and scored a 560. She said she guessed on almost everything on the last half of the test! Hope her guesser is working as well on January 27!

I doubt she will make national on combined scores, because her verbal practice was so low and she isn't "into" reading the same way I was at her age. But then, in my day we only had papyrus books and candles.

 

[Viper GTS]

Chess...

You'd lust after it even more if you could see what it will do. Have you ever seen a calculator rotate a 3D graph in realtime? It's very impressive.

Plus the fact that it does symbolic manipulation, which is very handy.

Viper GTS

 

[chess9]

Viper:

My watch does that every morning when I get up.

But, no. Tres cool.

In 4 years I'll buy her one that'll pick a rich husband for her. The thought of college expenditures has me longing for the barefoot and pregnant days. I'm putting one through now and am always broke. Can't buy one of those Sony F500 monitors. Gotta buy a refurbed Iiyama 22 incher. Now I know how the peeps in India feel.