MOE approved calculators: the SEAB list, which to buy, when they are allowed, and exam room rules

Search by brand or model, or filter by list and type. The current list shows each model's approved period. When a period ends and the maker does not apply to extend it, SEAB moves the model to the previously approved list, and those models can still be used in all national examinations unless SEAB changes the policy, syllabus or exam format. SEAB says it gives at least two years' notice of such a change.

Graphing calculators are allowed only in subjects examined at H1, H2 and H3 Levels of the A-Level, and they must be reset before every exam.

• Read the model number printed on the front of the calculator, not the box or the shop's listing. SEAB requires the original brand and model number to be clearly visible.
• Type the letters and numbers into the search above and match every character. A model counts only if it appears on the current or previously approved list exactly as printed.
• Look-alike names are different models. The Casio FX 95MS is on the current list and the FX 95 SG Plus on the previously approved list, so both are allowed. FX 570MS and FX 991ES do not appear on either list, while the FX 570AD and FX 991S do.
• A hand-me-down from an older sibling is fine if its model is on either list and it still works.
• If the model is not on either list, do not take it into the exam. Ask the school if you are unsure.

• Buy one scientific model from SEAB's current list. It is allowed in the PSLE, in secondary school and SEC Maths, and in A-Level papers that do not need a graphing calculator.
• Choose a model whose approved period runs longest (see the edition block above). Even after a period ends, the model moves to the previously approved list and stays allowed unless SEAB announces a change with two years' notice.
• Do not buy a graphing calculator before A-Level. They are allowed only in A-Level H1, H2 and H3 subjects.
• Approved models are sold in bookshops, stationery shops and electronics shops, and some school bookshops sell them. Prices differ by shop and model, so check the model number on the calculator against the list before paying.
• A second approved calculator is allowed in the exam, so a spare is worth having for the PSLE and later exams.

In the PSLE, SEAB's rules allow a calculator only for Mathematics Paper 2 and Foundation Mathematics Paper 2, so a calculator brought to any other paper breaks the rules.

For the SEC, SEAB's Mathematics syllabuses say "An approved calculator may be used in both Paper 1 and Paper 2". The list itself is headed for the PSLE and GCE exams, so use a model on SEAB's list and check with the school if SEAB issues a separate SEC list.

Yes, in lessons and in Paper 2. MOE brought calculators into the primary Mathematics curriculum at Primary 5 in 2008 and Primary 6 in 2009, and the PSLE has allowed them in Paper 2 since 2009. Pupils still learn and are tested on working without a calculator, which is what Paper 1 checks.

These are TSS's own examples. Key names differ between models, so use the manual for your model to find each key.

• Write the working on paper as well, so the marker can see the method.
• Clear the memory before the exam, as SEAB requires, and practise with the same calculator your child will use.

SEAB's 2026 rules for GCE candidates say "The invigilator will check and remove your calculator(s) during the examinations if it is not approved for use." Bringing anything other than an approved calculator is "a breach of the examination rules and regulations, and you may be penalised." A calculator that lets a candidate retrieve stored information or programmes is also an infringement.

The penalties SEAB lists for breaking its rules range from refusal of entry to later papers to annulled results, a grade penalty or a ban from future exams. In the PSLE, a calculator is not allowed in any paper other than Mathematics Paper 2 and Foundation Mathematics Paper 2.

• It must be silent, with a visual display only.
• The original brand and model number must be clearly visible so the invigilator can check it.
• It must have the four operations with brackets and order of operations, fractions as a/b and a b/c, square and cube roots, and pi.
• No programmable calculators, and none that can do numerical integration or differentiation.
• No external storage such as cards or plug-in modules, no wireless communication, and no storing or playing back of words or audio.
• Formulas, conversion tables or handwriting on the calculator or its cover are not allowed. Remove instruction leaflets, and securely cover anything printed that cannot be removed.
• Memory must be cleared before the exam. Graphing calculators must be reset and cannot carry prepared programs or symbolic algebra.
• The candidate is responsible for a working calculator and battery. A fault is not grounds for special consideration, so a second approved calculator is allowed. Sharing or borrowing during the exam is not.

• Write answers in black (recommended) or dark blue ballpoint pen. SEAB recommends a 0.5mm tip, which smudges less.
• Do not write answers in pencil unless the paper says so, because pencil may be too faint for marking.
• Do not use an erasable ink pen.
• Use a 2B pencil to shade the Optical Answer Sheet for multiple-choice questions and to draw diagrams. Use a soft eraser to change an answer.
• Do not use correction fluid or correction tape, and do not highlight answers.
• Bring black or dark blue ballpoint pens, 2B pencils, soft erasers, a sharpener, a ruler, a protractor and set squares.

These are SEAB's 2026 rule books for GCE N, O and A-Level candidates. SEAB publishes a new rule book each year.

• Write answers in blue or black ballpoint pen.
• Shade the multiple-choice answer sheet with a 2B pencil and change answers with a soft eraser.
• Highlighting the questions is allowed, highlighting answers is not.
• Do not use correction fluid or tape, as it has made scripts hard to read and can damage them when scanned.
• Report to the exam centre 30 minutes before the start and be seated 15 minutes before, or 30 minutes before a listening comprehension paper. Late candidates get no extra time.

PSLE pupils leave their bags outside the room or where the staff say, and must stay for the whole paper.