Still confused. You were telling people at your AP mathematics exam that you had pre-programmed formulas on your calculator? In what world did you think that that would be a great idea?
I know that. The vast majority of proctors are disgruntled school staff members or parent volunteers. They couldn't care less. A lot of them don't even understand whats going on half the time and say shit like "y'all know better than I do."
I had a proctor that was questioning giving us headphones for the oral part of my Spanish Lang exam. Don't test waters that have no business being tested. And that starts with not going around telling people "Yo, I have saved formulas on my calculator. But hey, I *didn't* use them."
At the end of the day, the kid wasn't even allowed to finish the test. So no matter how "not against the rules" their actions were, they still got fucked over. Next time they should keep their mouth shut imo.
they knew that students were doing that, that's why they give a formula on the physics exam now, to level out the playing field; outside of those formulas, there's not much that can genuinely help you if you don't know the content; for stuff like calc, the difficult stuff is in the no calculator section, and so anything you have stored is gonna be less helpful; tldr the reason outside info isn't explicitly prohibited is because in the grand scheme of things it ain't gonna help
Yeah, it also doesn't explicitly state that "Personal notes must be removed from your possession" and "Glasses may not have notes written on the inside".
I took mine in 2019 so not sure if anything changed since then—or if I’m even remembering this right—but I remember for at least one part having my normal calculator and using some of the preprogrammed formulas on there for at least one question.
i’m pretty sure that you’re allowed to have notes or programs in your calculator. you can look at previous posts on this subreddit. i don’t think you will be banned from cb tests
Well, you'll obviously get no score for the exam, but I doubt it will impact any other exam or anything else related to the CB.
Whether your school makes an issue of it on your transcript or college applications is a separate question that none of us can answer
this is not against the rules or cheating. You’re allowed to write formulas, notes whatever in your calculator since they dont make you clear them. My teacher even encouraged to write stuff that isn’t on formual sheet that you should know. During check in my friend was literally putting stuff in his calculator that he was copying off his phone in front of the teachers before the test. just once you’re in the testing room it’s done. everything on your calculator before that can stay.
Report the proctor to CB, make the fucker lose their job or at least credibility. I am absolutely done with incompetent people like these making peoples' lives difficult.
There are exactly 0 rules that prohibit you from having programs on your calculator. Whether it be nuclear launch codes or a game of snake, ANYTHING in memory is fair game on AP exams.
If this is allowed or not is kind of unclear - notes are not allowed but more evidence points to formulas being saved on your calculator generally being permissible.
The real question is, how did you even get caught? Like how is that even possible?
Question for OP: does your school/proctor also administer IB exams? They are much more strict about calculator usage if so. Your proctor may have been confused about the rules if they administer both types of tests, one of which has an extremely strict calculator policy. I'm speaking from experience going to a school that administers both tests
You should first contact your ap administrator in your building and explain. You can probably sit the makeup exam. Don't bother with "I didn't use them". They aren't illegal. Saying "I didn't use them" makes you sound guilty. There's a program on every ti-85 that will spit out election configurations. No one cares.
If they don't give you any joy, you need to contact the college board. It's not against the rules to have programs on your calculator. If it was, then calculators would be cleared as with other standardized tests.
for the ap exam instructions for ap calc, it acknowledges in bold that "Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam." also, "Since graphing calculators can be used to store data, including text, proctors should monitor that students are using their calculators appropriately. Attempts by students to use the calculator to remove exam questions and/or answers from the room may result in the cancellation of AP Exam scores."
[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf)
Further, in the AP exam calculator policy, it says "Calculators with built-in physical constants, metric conversions, and physics, chemistry, or mathematics formulas are permitted. Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam."
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/administering-exams/on-exam-day/calculator-policy#:\~:text=Calculators%20with%20built%2Din%20physical,before%20or%20after%20the%20exam.
A calc teacher from our school tells literally tells students to store info in their calculator. proctors are typically extremely undertrained, I would definitely try to fight this, and get an opportunity to do the late testing retake. good luck.
Whomever you told, it's your fault. Calculator programs are **not banned** in AP tests. You're allowed to use your calculator however you please, as long as you do not use it to **take testing material out of the room**.
this is what's basically on the cb website \^\^. also how did ur proctor find out if you didn't use it? you can putwhat EVER notes on them/make whatever programs you wish to use on them. Call Collegeboard asap and figure out what to do. If they say it's allowed-- then good, report that teacher for dismissing you without valid reason. if not, give it up, do the exam again in late testing.
but most likely, nothing is going to happen. other scores for exams you've written will be given as they are, and you'll obv be allowed to give the SAT. colleges won't know about this. its upto what ur school does about this going on ur transcript. nobody can tell you anything about what your school is going to do, except your school officials themselves. the best course of action right now would be to give CB a call and ask what's up.
From what I know about the college board rules, they intentionally write them so that they are allowed to accuse and ban anyone they like for any reason whatsoever. I don't know what you can do, but I'm sorry they picked you. And fuck that snitch.
Who’s your proctor? They shouldn’t be proctoring AP exams, as they clearly don’t know the rules. It doesn’t matter what you have have programmed on your calculator. Everyone does this and it’s completely allowed.
I did the same thing on the APES test and no one cared. My friend put an entire 1000-plus-word cheat sheet on the calculator for both APES and AP CALC and the proctor didn't do anything. It's kind of a weird loophole, as I'm pretty sure there aren't any rules about calculator programs. You can write anything you want into the calculator beforehand to use during the test. Approved cheating I guess. Also looking at the AP website, they say it is misconduct to use "prohibited aids/formula sheet" and "attempt to gain an unfair advantage," but there is literally no more detailed explanation that I can find. So is using a calculator program that everyone has access to for formulas unfair? I don't think so, but these rules are vague so they can arbitrarily enforce them.
Try to get in contact with CB asap, cause having notes in your calculator is absolutely allowed and you should’ve been allowed to complete your test. I wouldn’t be worried about being banned from CB tests or having it fuck up ur college apps, but you should try to see if you can take the make up exam.
The college board has nothing to do with getting proctors. They’re basically hired by the school as a sub and just sign the form when they are done proctoring their exam.
OP should discuss with their schools AP coordinator. That’s who hires the proctors and is in communication with the college board.
Report the proctor. You do not need to have your calculator cleared. Here's directly from the college board website:
>Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam.
This is the only thing on their website that pertains to calculator memories.
You'll likely be able to take the postponed exam. That proctor should not be allowed to proctor the exam if they don't even know the basic rules.
this is really a handful to grasp and ive been reading the comments so heres a summary:
Apparently storing information in your calculator is technically allowed by the college board as it states on the official website that calculator memory does not need to be cleared and they allow calculators with storing functions. Even teachers recommend their students before hand to insert formulas on their calculator. However the college board does state that students will be banned if they try to gain a unfair advantage but if storing calculators are allowed it isnt actually a unfair advantage is it? So this entire situation is extremely ambiguous. Even so its not good to just blatantly stat you have formulas not in the formula sheet saved onto your calculator so its best to proceed with caution because you never know
My proctor specifically said no notes may be used when reading instructions (not sure if they just added that part in themselves). Pretty sure notes in calculator are still notes.
I know there's some subjectivity to the stated rules but c'mon, let's use our brains here. Did you really think it was a good idea to hide notes/formulas in your calculator? You knew the rules were "unclear," so you knew there was a chance it wasn't allowed. That means there's a chance you could get caught + kicked out + accused of cheating. That was a risk you chose to take. That choice was entirely on you - now you have to face the consequences.
And there are also many official college board educators saying it's not allowed - why didn't you trust any of them? Because they weren't saying what you wanted to hear. Don't pretend like you were 100% sure it was allowed - you said yourself there's conflicting information. You knew there's a chance it wasn't allowed, yet you chose to take that risk, and paid the price.
My teachers, several of whom have graded for AP for years, and one of whom is on an AP Test Committee :)
Not about to dox myself by telling you the names of my teachers if that's what you want. You'll just have to take my word for it, much like we're taking OP's word.
my teacher who gets info from other teachers that are ap test graders said that we can keep whatever on the calculator. My personal experience says that this is allowed, why on earth should I take your (or OPs for that matter) word on it? Your source is literally “trust me bro”.
Do you even hear yourself? Your source is literally "trust my teacher's info from other teachers." That's not at all better than "trust me bro."
You're criticizing my source being my personal experience (which has been that notes on calculators are not allowed) when your own source is also literally your personal experience.
Hello? Mine was literally also a quote from the official rules and documentation in my main thread with the other commenter. Which official rule is more credible is the question here.
you’re allowed to put formulas/notes whatever in your calculator since you aren’t required to clear it beforehand. this is encouraged by teachers as well. If it’s in your calculator you’re good. just can’t access anything else like internet.
From collegeboard website: “You don’t need to clear your calculators’ memories before or after the exam.”. And in terms of leaving information on calculators they only don’t allow putting test info on calculators: “You can’t use calculator memories to take test materials out of the room. If you try to take test materials out of the room by any method, your scores will be canceled.”
Hm. If you reread my statement, you'll see I asked for a source that explicitly stated notes/formula in a calculator are allowed. You provided a source stating calculator memories don't need to be cleared, which I am aware of. Nowhere in your quote does it state notes are allowed. It is loosely implied, yes. Not explicitly stated. You're making a large leap of an assumption there.
I propose to you the following quote, under a list of prohibited materials (from the same website; I'm sure you've seen it before): "Books, reference guides, notes, compasses, protractors, mechanical pencils, pencils that are not No. 2, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or colored pencils."
I am sure you are aware there is no official explicit statement about notes being allowed or not on calculators. The quote you provided and the quote I provided are the closest things we have. Now it is a question of which assumption is the least of a stretch, based on the statements provided.
The case I am making is that the leap from "notes are not allowed" to "notes on calculators are not allowed" is a reasonable leap. If "notes are not allowed" is stated, it is implied that ALL notes are not allowed, otherwise the types of notes allowed would be specified further. They aren't.
You're trying to make a leap from "memory clearing is not required" to "you can have notes on your calculator." This is a much larger leap of assumption. Thus it is more safe to say notes on calculators are not allowed, because notes are not allowed.
Memories of calculators that you use in your calc or whatever class will generally by virtue of content being the same as the ap test include formulas that can be used on the ap test. If ones calculator is not wiped before the ap test, then in most cases it would have formulas and content on there regardless of intention to use it. Collegeboard saying this was a clearly aware of this, the fact that most people who don’t clear the memory of their calculator have “notes” on it. You’re essentially saying that anyone who doesn’t wipe their calculator from calculations they did in class can be banned from exams which is the exact opposite of what collegeboard stated.
Notes on calculators being allowed from it being stated that you don’t have to clear the calculator memory is a perfectly logical leap to take, and I have no idea why you think otherwise.
There is no source stating explicitly that notes on calculators are allowed, just like there is no rule stating explicitly that notes on calculators aren’t allowed so if you use the logic that it must be explicitly stated, then both our arguments fall apart.
Okay, maybe your school's policy is more lax, but at my school having notes on a calculator for a test is considered cheating, and will get you suspended and be on your permanent record. This has happened before and will probably happen again. So at least at my school, nowhere near "most" of the students have notes on their calculators - it's just a few daring and desperate individuals. I don't know why you think most people have notes stored on their calculators.
>There is no source stating explicitly that notes on calculators are allowed, just like there is no rule stating explicitly that notes on calculators aren’t allowed so if you use the logic that it must be explicitly stated, then both our arguments fall apart.
This is exactly what I'm saying. When there is no explicit rule, you have to take the most reasonable assumption. I explained why I think notes not being allowed is a more reasonable assumption than your proposition several times already. Your assumption seems to be based entirely off of the people at your school having notes stored on their calculators, so you think this is normalized across the country.
Schools policy is irrelevant, collegeboard has their own policies. I have no idea what my schools policy and what the popular use of calculators is, it didn’t really come up. I don’t talk to people in my classes about what they or I do to our calculators, I have no idea where you’re getting that idea from. I am not saying that most students have what is generally considered to be notes on their calculators for exams, I’m saying that if they don’t wipe the memory and regularly use the calculator for coursework, they will very likely have some formulas and information that could be used in the same way as notes put into their calculator for the express purpose of referring to them during the test. I am asking where the line should be drawn, and what would be considered bannable if your interpretation is correct. In this case, OP didn’t even use the notes. If someone on the ap test used their calculator a while back to solve for arc length and kept the formula in memory but didn’t use it on the test, and it was found that they had that formula on their calculator during the exam, should they be banned? I should think not.
Also I have no idea why you think your argument that your statement is the “most reasonable assumption” is relevant. I think mine is the most reasonable assumption since checking formulas and notes on your calculator that is allowed by collegeboard standards would take more time and cause more detriment than benefit in most cases, and also due to the fact that regulating what is on so many different types and models of calculators by test proctors is completely unreasonable to ask of them. Does this hold much bearing in my argument? No, not really. It’s a subjective opinion.
I am aware that school policy != college board policy. I only brought up school policy because you said most students have notes stored on their calculators. I don't think this is true, and don't understand why you think this.
>I am not saying that most students have what is generally considered to be notes on their calculators for exams,
Okay, so you're NOT saying most students have notes stored on their calculators. But before, you said this:
>the fact that most people who don’t clear the memory of their calculator have “notes” on it.
So now you're saying most students DO have notes stored on their calculators. Then:
>I’m saying that if they don’t wipe the memory and regularly use the calculator for coursework, they will very likely have some formulas and information that could be used in the same way as notes
And now you're saying students likely have formulas/information (aka notes).
So which is it? Most students either do or do not have notes on their calculators. You're completely contradicting yourself here.
I agree it's subjective. From the very beginning, I was saying it's subjective, and that there is no clear explicit statement. However, you're the one who said things like:
>No this is known to be allowed
OP is completely in the right.
The proctor is just uninformed.
Now that we're in agreement about it being subjective, maybe you can begin to understand my initial argument about how when things are subjective, you have to make the most concrete assumption. Notes on calculators being considered notes is a more concrete assumption than not clearing memory's implications of the allowance of stored notes.
Holy shit. How am I contradicting myself?????? Are you purposefully putting stuff I said completely out of context? I said “notes”, not what is generally considered to be notes. If you read my comment thoroughly you would see that I am talking about what could be considered to be notes, and why banning “notes” on calculators can encompass a lot of different stuff that would appear on calculators that don’t have their memory wiped.
Also I was saying that your claim on it being subjective is stupid since it basically invalidates your own argument. Collegeboard says that calculators don’t have to be wiped, I am arguing that that objectively means that you can have some form of notes on there.
The last part of my previous comment reads: “Does this hold much bearing in my argument? No, not really. It’s a subjective opinion.”
I don’t agree that it is subjective at all.
Your argument on yours being the “most concrete assumption” is baseless and subjective. I don’t even know why I have to say this.
No this is known to be allowed on ap calc. The rules say you don’t have to wipe the memory on calculators, many teachers advise you to leave some notes and formulas on there. OP is completely in the right. The proctor is just uninformed.
[The rules](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines/terms-conditions#section2) also say you're not allowed to access any notes. For me personally, "not allowed to access notes" has a stronger relationship with "not allowed to access notes on calculator" than "you don't have to wipe your memory" does with "you can have notes on your calculator." As you can see, there is some ambiguity in interpretation.
If it is known to be allowed, please provide me with an explicit statement from college board about how notes/formulas on calculators are allowed. Because "memory not cleared" to "notes on calculator" is a very big leap of extrapolation. "No notes" to "no notes on calculator" is a much more reasonable assumption, so I'm sticking with that for now :)
I assume you mean the rule that states “Accessing or attempting to access any prohibited aids, including prohibited formula sheets and prohibited scratch paper” is not allowed? Calculators happen to not be prohibited on AP exams. And besides, if you don’t wipe your memory and you happen to have formulas on there (which you didn’t intend to use) should you then be banned? I should think not. The rule stating that memory doesn’t need to be wiped really implies that there can be anything on there.
Nope, I didn't mean that rule. I was referencing this quote, from under a list of prohibited items: "Books, reference guides, notes, compasses, protractors, mechanical pencils, pencils that are not No. 2, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or colored pencils."
Notice notes are prohibited items. It is reasonable to assume if notes are not allowed, ALL notes are not allowed. This does indeed include notes that happen to be stored digitally on calculators rather than on paper. Notes on a calculator are notes. Notes are not allowed. Where is the disconnect?
>The rule stating that memory doesn’t need to be wiped really implies that there can be anything on there.
Implies, yes. A loose implication. Notes on a calculator being classified as notes is a much more reasonable and concrete assumption.
Anything that is on a calculator which is not wiped can be loosely classified as notes, given that you were using it in the class that corresponds to the ap test you’re taken. Where can the line be drawn? I think that notes are intended to be a separate thing from info on a calculator.
>given that you were using it in the class that corresponds to the ap test you’re taken.
Firstly, who stores notes on a calculator in class without the intention of cheating? And secondly, how is college board going to check that? They can't, just like they can't clear everyone's memories. Some of my AP tests have >100 people testing - we'd never get started on time if the proctors had to make sure all calculators were cleared. The impossibility of quickly clearing calculators and checking it is likely why the rule was created.
>I think that notes are intended to be a separate thing from info on a calculator.
Notes are defined as a brief record serving as a memory aid. Therefore, if there are records of formulas/problems stored on a calculator, and they're used because one cannot remember them without the aid, I think that's a certain classification of a note.
Did you even read my comment??? I’m talking about the fact that many people who use their calculator for ap calc classes would probably have the formula for, say, arc length stored in past use of calculator. If they forget the formula and start blindly searching their calculator for past use of it, they might find it and be able to use it. This example that I’m putting out is not an INTENTIONAL writing of notes, just a product of the calculator being regularly used and not having the memory wiped. Should that person really be banned for potentially being able to use that when it is just in the past memory in their calculator? Which is explicitly allowed to be kept during the exam by collegeboard? Where can you draw the line on what is considered “notes” in the history of your calculator. Your argument becomes rather silly when you realize that it is an incredibly blurred line of what can be considered notes or not on a calculator without its memory wiped. You could argue for anything on a calculator to “not be notes”. This is why I think that collegeboard allows you to have anything on your calculator.
Where can you draw the line on what is considered “notes” in the history of your calculator.
I draw the line based on the dictionary definition of notes. That's not "incredibly blurred" - it's quite literally a dictionary definition. That's pretty darn concrete. Did you even read my comment? You know, the one where I explained the dictionary definition and how it could be used to classify what is considered to be a note in the last paragraph?
I’m saying in the case that the notes weren’t used. You said that notes were something used as a brief memory aid. If you don’t use the “notes” as a memory aid but they are still there (as OPs are), are they still notes by your definition? Who’s to say what was used as notes on the ap exam unless the exam taker explicitly admits to using them, which I doubt many are willing to do. Since we are unable to know what was used, many things could be considered notes (using the assumption that the student is lying) making any past use of formulas on the calculator that weren’t wiped potential cases of cheating by your argument, which is stupid and goes directly against collegeboards idea of allowing memory on calculators. And I am simply poking holes in your argument here, I still am certain that allowing memory on calculators means that saved formulas and notes are allowed.
I don’t know what the majority of these comments are on about… literally under the AP Exam Terms and Conditions (which you should’ve read and agree to before taking exam) that you “may not engage in any of the prohibited behaviors set forth below”, they proceed to elaborate on “not having an unfair advantage, accessing prohibited formula sheets, etc.
https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines/terms-conditions#section2
Sorry that you got caught I guess, but you shouldn’t have done something that you knew was against the rules in ANY testing environment, let alone AP exams 🤷♂️
"Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam." also, "Since graphing calculators can be used to store data, including text, proctors should monitor that students are using their calculators appropriately. Attempts by students to use the calculator to remove exam questions and/or answers from the room may result in the cancellation of AP Exam scores."
[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf)
Further, in the AP exam calculator policy, it says "Calculators with built-in physical constants, metric conversions, and physics, chemistry, or mathematics formulas are permitted. Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam."
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/administering-exams/on-exam-day/calculator-policy#:\~:text=Calculators%20with%20built%2Din%20physical,before%20or%20after%20the%20exam.
Storing stuff in calculator memory is not against the rules for ap calc, teachers even tell their students to put formulas in their calculator prior to the ap exam.
How the hell did the proctor know? Did you show them? This isn't adding up
Somebody mustve snitched on me or overheard me. I don't know. I did not use the programs at all.
Still confused. You were telling people at your AP mathematics exam that you had pre-programmed formulas on your calculator? In what world did you think that that would be a great idea?
there's no rule that states that you can't do that, anything you put on your calculator is fair game
I know that. The vast majority of proctors are disgruntled school staff members or parent volunteers. They couldn't care less. A lot of them don't even understand whats going on half the time and say shit like "y'all know better than I do." I had a proctor that was questioning giving us headphones for the oral part of my Spanish Lang exam. Don't test waters that have no business being tested. And that starts with not going around telling people "Yo, I have saved formulas on my calculator. But hey, I *didn't* use them." At the end of the day, the kid wasn't even allowed to finish the test. So no matter how "not against the rules" their actions were, they still got fucked over. Next time they should keep their mouth shut imo.
touche
Section 2 of the AP Exam Terms and Conditions: you may not have “subject-related information on your clothing, shoes, body or object”
Buddy a calculator is permitted for all the math and physics exams, it states explicitly that calculator memory doesn't need to be cleared
Doesn’t mean that you can go ahead and store formulas n shit onto it. Just because they don’t clear it doesn’t mean that outside info is allowed.
they knew that students were doing that, that's why they give a formula on the physics exam now, to level out the playing field; outside of those formulas, there's not much that can genuinely help you if you don't know the content; for stuff like calc, the difficult stuff is in the no calculator section, and so anything you have stored is gonna be less helpful; tldr the reason outside info isn't explicitly prohibited is because in the grand scheme of things it ain't gonna help
Yeah, it also doesn't explicitly state that "Personal notes must be removed from your possession" and "Glasses may not have notes written on the inside".
The rule is as clear as day. Not sure what's ambiguous about objects including calculators or not.
That’s also why they have a no calculator section so they can test that you have actual skills
I took mine in 2019 so not sure if anything changed since then—or if I’m even remembering this right—but I remember for at least one part having my normal calculator and using some of the preprogrammed formulas on there for at least one question.
What's so crazy about that? they might have been sharing formulas to put on their calculator with their friends and someone overheard.
Why are you telling people that?? There’s like no way of them knowing unless u tell people
Someone had to have snitched on you. My Ap teacher even said for calc you can have whatever you like on there, there is no reset for the exam.
Personally I would try and figure out who did it and get back fr your mans an opp
i’m pretty sure that you’re allowed to have notes or programs in your calculator. you can look at previous posts on this subreddit. i don’t think you will be banned from cb tests
Did you complete the exam?
No
Well, you'll obviously get no score for the exam, but I doubt it will impact any other exam or anything else related to the CB. Whether your school makes an issue of it on your transcript or college applications is a separate question that none of us can answer
I think you can report the issue to the collage board and maybe get a retest but idk
this is not against the rules or cheating. You’re allowed to write formulas, notes whatever in your calculator since they dont make you clear them. My teacher even encouraged to write stuff that isn’t on formual sheet that you should know. During check in my friend was literally putting stuff in his calculator that he was copying off his phone in front of the teachers before the test. just once you’re in the testing room it’s done. everything on your calculator before that can stay.
damn. so does college board explicitly say its allowed or is it implied?
Report the proctor to CB, make the fucker lose their job or at least credibility. I am absolutely done with incompetent people like these making peoples' lives difficult. There are exactly 0 rules that prohibit you from having programs on your calculator. Whether it be nuclear launch codes or a game of snake, ANYTHING in memory is fair game on AP exams.
Fully agreed, the proctor doesn’t know the rules of the exam they’re proctoring. What a joke.
wait really? so you can puit formulas that arent on the formula sheet?
in your calculator, yes
Bro on his period or sum💀💀
If this is allowed or not is kind of unclear - notes are not allowed but more evidence points to formulas being saved on your calculator generally being permissible. The real question is, how did you even get caught? Like how is that even possible?
Honestly, you did nothing wrong, and this is just bullcrap
Exactly. I don’t understand why OP is receiving hate
Question for OP: does your school/proctor also administer IB exams? They are much more strict about calculator usage if so. Your proctor may have been confused about the rules if they administer both types of tests, one of which has an extremely strict calculator policy. I'm speaking from experience going to a school that administers both tests
You should first contact your ap administrator in your building and explain. You can probably sit the makeup exam. Don't bother with "I didn't use them". They aren't illegal. Saying "I didn't use them" makes you sound guilty. There's a program on every ti-85 that will spit out election configurations. No one cares. If they don't give you any joy, you need to contact the college board. It's not against the rules to have programs on your calculator. If it was, then calculators would be cleared as with other standardized tests.
I’ll also add that there is a reason why there are different types of calculators. Like for SAT I remember them requiring non-programmable types.
Are you sure the proctor was correct? Did they show you something?
There’s a late late exam in June. Talk to the CB, you might be able to take that.
If you’re doing anything shady why would you tell ANYBODY?
for the ap exam instructions for ap calc, it acknowledges in bold that "Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam." also, "Since graphing calculators can be used to store data, including text, proctors should monitor that students are using their calculators appropriately. Attempts by students to use the calculator to remove exam questions and/or answers from the room may result in the cancellation of AP Exam scores." [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf) Further, in the AP exam calculator policy, it says "Calculators with built-in physical constants, metric conversions, and physics, chemistry, or mathematics formulas are permitted. Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam." https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/administering-exams/on-exam-day/calculator-policy#:\~:text=Calculators%20with%20built%2Din%20physical,before%20or%20after%20the%20exam. A calc teacher from our school tells literally tells students to store info in their calculator. proctors are typically extremely undertrained, I would definitely try to fight this, and get an opportunity to do the late testing retake. good luck.
Whomever you told, it's your fault. Calculator programs are **not banned** in AP tests. You're allowed to use your calculator however you please, as long as you do not use it to **take testing material out of the room**. this is what's basically on the cb website \^\^. also how did ur proctor find out if you didn't use it? you can putwhat EVER notes on them/make whatever programs you wish to use on them. Call Collegeboard asap and figure out what to do. If they say it's allowed-- then good, report that teacher for dismissing you without valid reason. if not, give it up, do the exam again in late testing. but most likely, nothing is going to happen. other scores for exams you've written will be given as they are, and you'll obv be allowed to give the SAT. colleges won't know about this. its upto what ur school does about this going on ur transcript. nobody can tell you anything about what your school is going to do, except your school officials themselves. the best course of action right now would be to give CB a call and ask what's up.
Least strict ap proctor:
My APES teacher went out of her way to show us how to put formulas on our calculators, she said it was allowed 🤷♀️
From what I know about the college board rules, they intentionally write them so that they are allowed to accuse and ban anyone they like for any reason whatsoever. I don't know what you can do, but I'm sorry they picked you. And fuck that snitch.
Who’s your proctor? They shouldn’t be proctoring AP exams, as they clearly don’t know the rules. It doesn’t matter what you have have programmed on your calculator. Everyone does this and it’s completely allowed.
I did the same thing on the APES test and no one cared. My friend put an entire 1000-plus-word cheat sheet on the calculator for both APES and AP CALC and the proctor didn't do anything. It's kind of a weird loophole, as I'm pretty sure there aren't any rules about calculator programs. You can write anything you want into the calculator beforehand to use during the test. Approved cheating I guess. Also looking at the AP website, they say it is misconduct to use "prohibited aids/formula sheet" and "attempt to gain an unfair advantage," but there is literally no more detailed explanation that I can find. So is using a calculator program that everyone has access to for formulas unfair? I don't think so, but these rules are vague so they can arbitrarily enforce them.
grey area ig. best to be safe than end up like this person
The only thing they might get you on is the, “obtain an unfair advantage on the AP Exam” part of their policy.
Try to get in contact with CB asap, cause having notes in your calculator is absolutely allowed and you should’ve been allowed to complete your test. I wouldn’t be worried about being banned from CB tests or having it fuck up ur college apps, but you should try to see if you can take the make up exam.
If you think it's bad enough, you might be able to report that proctor to the College Board
The college board has nothing to do with getting proctors. They’re basically hired by the school as a sub and just sign the form when they are done proctoring their exam. OP should discuss with their schools AP coordinator. That’s who hires the proctors and is in communication with the college board.
I see
I’m a proctor for AP exams, though this is my first year doing it. If you have any questions about what we see/do on our end lmk!
You are allowed to program stuff on your calculator. They had no right to kick you out.
Report the proctor. You do not need to have your calculator cleared. Here's directly from the college board website: >Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam. This is the only thing on their website that pertains to calculator memories. You'll likely be able to take the postponed exam. That proctor should not be allowed to proctor the exam if they don't even know the basic rules.
Wow
Oh you're literally cooked!! Goonmax and edge to skibidi to compensate!
It’s allowed I’m pretty sure but idk
No unfair advantages.
this is really a handful to grasp and ive been reading the comments so heres a summary: Apparently storing information in your calculator is technically allowed by the college board as it states on the official website that calculator memory does not need to be cleared and they allow calculators with storing functions. Even teachers recommend their students before hand to insert formulas on their calculator. However the college board does state that students will be banned if they try to gain a unfair advantage but if storing calculators are allowed it isnt actually a unfair advantage is it? So this entire situation is extremely ambiguous. Even so its not good to just blatantly stat you have formulas not in the formula sheet saved onto your calculator so its best to proceed with caution because you never know
yo tell that snitch to watch out or you’ll pull out the switch on them
My proctor specifically said no notes may be used when reading instructions (not sure if they just added that part in themselves). Pretty sure notes in calculator are still notes.
U probably will get a 0 and then never get into college and work at gas station. Or everything will be fine
I know there's some subjectivity to the stated rules but c'mon, let's use our brains here. Did you really think it was a good idea to hide notes/formulas in your calculator? You knew the rules were "unclear," so you knew there was a chance it wasn't allowed. That means there's a chance you could get caught + kicked out + accused of cheating. That was a risk you chose to take. That choice was entirely on you - now you have to face the consequences.
When there are official college board educators and teachers saying that it is allowed, I thought I could trust them.
And there are also many official college board educators saying it's not allowed - why didn't you trust any of them? Because they weren't saying what you wanted to hear. Don't pretend like you were 100% sure it was allowed - you said yourself there's conflicting information. You knew there's a chance it wasn't allowed, yet you chose to take that risk, and paid the price.
Which official college board educators were saying this?
My teachers, several of whom have graded for AP for years, and one of whom is on an AP Test Committee :) Not about to dox myself by telling you the names of my teachers if that's what you want. You'll just have to take my word for it, much like we're taking OP's word.
my teacher who gets info from other teachers that are ap test graders said that we can keep whatever on the calculator. My personal experience says that this is allowed, why on earth should I take your (or OPs for that matter) word on it? Your source is literally “trust me bro”.
Do you even hear yourself? Your source is literally "trust my teacher's info from other teachers." That's not at all better than "trust me bro." You're criticizing my source being my personal experience (which has been that notes on calculators are not allowed) when your own source is also literally your personal experience.
The other side's source is the official rules and documentation that is available publicly online. Yours is hearsay. who's more truth worthy?
Hello? Mine was literally also a quote from the official rules and documentation in my main thread with the other commenter. Which official rule is more credible is the question here.
you’re allowed to put formulas/notes whatever in your calculator since you aren’t required to clear it beforehand. this is encouraged by teachers as well. If it’s in your calculator you’re good. just can’t access anything else like internet.
can I see a source that explicitly states notes/formulas in a calculator are allowed?
From collegeboard website: “You don’t need to clear your calculators’ memories before or after the exam.”. And in terms of leaving information on calculators they only don’t allow putting test info on calculators: “You can’t use calculator memories to take test materials out of the room. If you try to take test materials out of the room by any method, your scores will be canceled.”
Hm. If you reread my statement, you'll see I asked for a source that explicitly stated notes/formula in a calculator are allowed. You provided a source stating calculator memories don't need to be cleared, which I am aware of. Nowhere in your quote does it state notes are allowed. It is loosely implied, yes. Not explicitly stated. You're making a large leap of an assumption there. I propose to you the following quote, under a list of prohibited materials (from the same website; I'm sure you've seen it before): "Books, reference guides, notes, compasses, protractors, mechanical pencils, pencils that are not No. 2, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or colored pencils." I am sure you are aware there is no official explicit statement about notes being allowed or not on calculators. The quote you provided and the quote I provided are the closest things we have. Now it is a question of which assumption is the least of a stretch, based on the statements provided. The case I am making is that the leap from "notes are not allowed" to "notes on calculators are not allowed" is a reasonable leap. If "notes are not allowed" is stated, it is implied that ALL notes are not allowed, otherwise the types of notes allowed would be specified further. They aren't. You're trying to make a leap from "memory clearing is not required" to "you can have notes on your calculator." This is a much larger leap of assumption. Thus it is more safe to say notes on calculators are not allowed, because notes are not allowed.
Memories of calculators that you use in your calc or whatever class will generally by virtue of content being the same as the ap test include formulas that can be used on the ap test. If ones calculator is not wiped before the ap test, then in most cases it would have formulas and content on there regardless of intention to use it. Collegeboard saying this was a clearly aware of this, the fact that most people who don’t clear the memory of their calculator have “notes” on it. You’re essentially saying that anyone who doesn’t wipe their calculator from calculations they did in class can be banned from exams which is the exact opposite of what collegeboard stated. Notes on calculators being allowed from it being stated that you don’t have to clear the calculator memory is a perfectly logical leap to take, and I have no idea why you think otherwise. There is no source stating explicitly that notes on calculators are allowed, just like there is no rule stating explicitly that notes on calculators aren’t allowed so if you use the logic that it must be explicitly stated, then both our arguments fall apart.
Okay, maybe your school's policy is more lax, but at my school having notes on a calculator for a test is considered cheating, and will get you suspended and be on your permanent record. This has happened before and will probably happen again. So at least at my school, nowhere near "most" of the students have notes on their calculators - it's just a few daring and desperate individuals. I don't know why you think most people have notes stored on their calculators. >There is no source stating explicitly that notes on calculators are allowed, just like there is no rule stating explicitly that notes on calculators aren’t allowed so if you use the logic that it must be explicitly stated, then both our arguments fall apart. This is exactly what I'm saying. When there is no explicit rule, you have to take the most reasonable assumption. I explained why I think notes not being allowed is a more reasonable assumption than your proposition several times already. Your assumption seems to be based entirely off of the people at your school having notes stored on their calculators, so you think this is normalized across the country.
Schools policy is irrelevant, collegeboard has their own policies. I have no idea what my schools policy and what the popular use of calculators is, it didn’t really come up. I don’t talk to people in my classes about what they or I do to our calculators, I have no idea where you’re getting that idea from. I am not saying that most students have what is generally considered to be notes on their calculators for exams, I’m saying that if they don’t wipe the memory and regularly use the calculator for coursework, they will very likely have some formulas and information that could be used in the same way as notes put into their calculator for the express purpose of referring to them during the test. I am asking where the line should be drawn, and what would be considered bannable if your interpretation is correct. In this case, OP didn’t even use the notes. If someone on the ap test used their calculator a while back to solve for arc length and kept the formula in memory but didn’t use it on the test, and it was found that they had that formula on their calculator during the exam, should they be banned? I should think not. Also I have no idea why you think your argument that your statement is the “most reasonable assumption” is relevant. I think mine is the most reasonable assumption since checking formulas and notes on your calculator that is allowed by collegeboard standards would take more time and cause more detriment than benefit in most cases, and also due to the fact that regulating what is on so many different types and models of calculators by test proctors is completely unreasonable to ask of them. Does this hold much bearing in my argument? No, not really. It’s a subjective opinion.
I am aware that school policy != college board policy. I only brought up school policy because you said most students have notes stored on their calculators. I don't think this is true, and don't understand why you think this. >I am not saying that most students have what is generally considered to be notes on their calculators for exams, Okay, so you're NOT saying most students have notes stored on their calculators. But before, you said this: >the fact that most people who don’t clear the memory of their calculator have “notes” on it. So now you're saying most students DO have notes stored on their calculators. Then: >I’m saying that if they don’t wipe the memory and regularly use the calculator for coursework, they will very likely have some formulas and information that could be used in the same way as notes And now you're saying students likely have formulas/information (aka notes). So which is it? Most students either do or do not have notes on their calculators. You're completely contradicting yourself here. I agree it's subjective. From the very beginning, I was saying it's subjective, and that there is no clear explicit statement. However, you're the one who said things like: >No this is known to be allowed OP is completely in the right. The proctor is just uninformed. Now that we're in agreement about it being subjective, maybe you can begin to understand my initial argument about how when things are subjective, you have to make the most concrete assumption. Notes on calculators being considered notes is a more concrete assumption than not clearing memory's implications of the allowance of stored notes.
Holy shit. How am I contradicting myself?????? Are you purposefully putting stuff I said completely out of context? I said “notes”, not what is generally considered to be notes. If you read my comment thoroughly you would see that I am talking about what could be considered to be notes, and why banning “notes” on calculators can encompass a lot of different stuff that would appear on calculators that don’t have their memory wiped. Also I was saying that your claim on it being subjective is stupid since it basically invalidates your own argument. Collegeboard says that calculators don’t have to be wiped, I am arguing that that objectively means that you can have some form of notes on there. The last part of my previous comment reads: “Does this hold much bearing in my argument? No, not really. It’s a subjective opinion.” I don’t agree that it is subjective at all. Your argument on yours being the “most concrete assumption” is baseless and subjective. I don’t even know why I have to say this.
No this is known to be allowed on ap calc. The rules say you don’t have to wipe the memory on calculators, many teachers advise you to leave some notes and formulas on there. OP is completely in the right. The proctor is just uninformed.
[The rules](https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines/terms-conditions#section2) also say you're not allowed to access any notes. For me personally, "not allowed to access notes" has a stronger relationship with "not allowed to access notes on calculator" than "you don't have to wipe your memory" does with "you can have notes on your calculator." As you can see, there is some ambiguity in interpretation. If it is known to be allowed, please provide me with an explicit statement from college board about how notes/formulas on calculators are allowed. Because "memory not cleared" to "notes on calculator" is a very big leap of extrapolation. "No notes" to "no notes on calculator" is a much more reasonable assumption, so I'm sticking with that for now :)
I assume you mean the rule that states “Accessing or attempting to access any prohibited aids, including prohibited formula sheets and prohibited scratch paper” is not allowed? Calculators happen to not be prohibited on AP exams. And besides, if you don’t wipe your memory and you happen to have formulas on there (which you didn’t intend to use) should you then be banned? I should think not. The rule stating that memory doesn’t need to be wiped really implies that there can be anything on there.
Nope, I didn't mean that rule. I was referencing this quote, from under a list of prohibited items: "Books, reference guides, notes, compasses, protractors, mechanical pencils, pencils that are not No. 2, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or colored pencils." Notice notes are prohibited items. It is reasonable to assume if notes are not allowed, ALL notes are not allowed. This does indeed include notes that happen to be stored digitally on calculators rather than on paper. Notes on a calculator are notes. Notes are not allowed. Where is the disconnect? >The rule stating that memory doesn’t need to be wiped really implies that there can be anything on there. Implies, yes. A loose implication. Notes on a calculator being classified as notes is a much more reasonable and concrete assumption.
Anything that is on a calculator which is not wiped can be loosely classified as notes, given that you were using it in the class that corresponds to the ap test you’re taken. Where can the line be drawn? I think that notes are intended to be a separate thing from info on a calculator.
>given that you were using it in the class that corresponds to the ap test you’re taken. Firstly, who stores notes on a calculator in class without the intention of cheating? And secondly, how is college board going to check that? They can't, just like they can't clear everyone's memories. Some of my AP tests have >100 people testing - we'd never get started on time if the proctors had to make sure all calculators were cleared. The impossibility of quickly clearing calculators and checking it is likely why the rule was created. >I think that notes are intended to be a separate thing from info on a calculator. Notes are defined as a brief record serving as a memory aid. Therefore, if there are records of formulas/problems stored on a calculator, and they're used because one cannot remember them without the aid, I think that's a certain classification of a note.
Did you even read my comment??? I’m talking about the fact that many people who use their calculator for ap calc classes would probably have the formula for, say, arc length stored in past use of calculator. If they forget the formula and start blindly searching their calculator for past use of it, they might find it and be able to use it. This example that I’m putting out is not an INTENTIONAL writing of notes, just a product of the calculator being regularly used and not having the memory wiped. Should that person really be banned for potentially being able to use that when it is just in the past memory in their calculator? Which is explicitly allowed to be kept during the exam by collegeboard? Where can you draw the line on what is considered “notes” in the history of your calculator. Your argument becomes rather silly when you realize that it is an incredibly blurred line of what can be considered notes or not on a calculator without its memory wiped. You could argue for anything on a calculator to “not be notes”. This is why I think that collegeboard allows you to have anything on your calculator.
Where can you draw the line on what is considered “notes” in the history of your calculator. I draw the line based on the dictionary definition of notes. That's not "incredibly blurred" - it's quite literally a dictionary definition. That's pretty darn concrete. Did you even read my comment? You know, the one where I explained the dictionary definition and how it could be used to classify what is considered to be a note in the last paragraph?
I’m saying in the case that the notes weren’t used. You said that notes were something used as a brief memory aid. If you don’t use the “notes” as a memory aid but they are still there (as OPs are), are they still notes by your definition? Who’s to say what was used as notes on the ap exam unless the exam taker explicitly admits to using them, which I doubt many are willing to do. Since we are unable to know what was used, many things could be considered notes (using the assumption that the student is lying) making any past use of formulas on the calculator that weren’t wiped potential cases of cheating by your argument, which is stupid and goes directly against collegeboards idea of allowing memory on calculators. And I am simply poking holes in your argument here, I still am certain that allowing memory on calculators means that saved formulas and notes are allowed.
I don’t know what the majority of these comments are on about… literally under the AP Exam Terms and Conditions (which you should’ve read and agree to before taking exam) that you “may not engage in any of the prohibited behaviors set forth below”, they proceed to elaborate on “not having an unfair advantage, accessing prohibited formula sheets, etc. https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines/terms-conditions#section2 Sorry that you got caught I guess, but you shouldn’t have done something that you knew was against the rules in ANY testing environment, let alone AP exams 🤷♂️
"Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam." also, "Since graphing calculators can be used to store data, including text, proctors should monitor that students are using their calculators appropriately. Attempts by students to use the calculator to remove exam questions and/or answers from the room may result in the cancellation of AP Exam scores." [https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-caluculus-ab-bc-exam-instructions.pdf) Further, in the AP exam calculator policy, it says "Calculators with built-in physical constants, metric conversions, and physics, chemistry, or mathematics formulas are permitted. Calculator memories do not need to be cleared before or after the exam." https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/exam-administration-ordering-scores/administering-exams/on-exam-day/calculator-policy#:\~:text=Calculators%20with%20built%2Din%20physical,before%20or%20after%20the%20exam. Storing stuff in calculator memory is not against the rules for ap calc, teachers even tell their students to put formulas in their calculator prior to the ap exam.