Which Calculator Can You Use on the CFP Exam? (2026)

Which Calculator Can You Use on the CFP Exam?

The CFP exam does not hand you a calculator. You bring your own, and the CFP Board is specific about what counts: a battery-powered, non-programmable, dedicated financial calculator. Get a model on their list, learn it, and clear its memory on the day.

I passed the CFP and built FreeFellow's CFP practice bank, and the calculator rules trip up more candidates than the math does. Here is exactly what you can bring and the exam-day steps people forget.

What the CFP Board requires

The rule has three parts. Your calculator must be:

Battery-powered (or solar), so nothing that needs a wall outlet.
Non-programmable, so nothing that can store or run a program.
A dedicated financial calculator, meaning a purpose-built financial model, not a phone, tablet, smartwatch, or app.

The CFP Board lists roughly a dozen acceptable models across three brands. Rather than memorize the list, match your model to those three requirements and confirm it against the current policy.

The models candidates actually use

Three come up again and again:

HP 10bII+. A favorite among CFP candidates. Algebraic entry, strong time value of money and statistics functions, inexpensive.
HP 12C. The RPN classic. Fast once mastered, but only choose it if you already use RPN.
Texas Instruments BA II Plus. The most universal pick. If you also plan to sit the CFA, FRM, CAIA, or CMA exams, this one model carries across all of them.

Any of the three handles everything the CFP exam asks: time value of money, uneven cash flows, and basic statistics. The best calculator is the one you know cold, so pick early and practice on it.

What is banned

The CFP Board bars anything programmable, anything with an alphabetic (QWERTY) keyboard, and anything that can store text. That rules out graphing calculators with typing keyboards and any device that doubles as something else. Phones, smartwatches, and calculator apps are out entirely.

Exam-day rules people forget

Memory is cleared before each session. Your calculator is inspected and reset before the exam, and you clear it again between the two sessions.
Cover printed formulas. If your calculator has formulas or notes printed on it, a pull-out reference card, or other supplemental material, you must remove or mask it with solid-color tape before entering the room.
Bring fresh batteries. A financial calculator dying mid-exam is a preventable disaster. Fresh batteries, or a solar-plus-battery model, close that risk.

Once your calculator is set, the rest is practice. FreeFellow's CFP question bank is free and includes full solutions, so you can rehearse the time value of money and cash flow keystrokes on real problems until they are second nature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the CFP exam give you a calculator or do you bring your own?

You bring your own. The CFP Board requires each candidate to supply one or more battery-powered, non-programmable, dedicated financial calculators. The test center does not provide one, so plan to buy and learn a model before exam day.

Which calculators are allowed on the CFP exam?

The CFP Board publishes a list of acceptable models across three brands, and the ones candidates use most are the HP 10bII+, the HP 12C, and the Texas Instruments BA II Plus. The unifying rule is that the calculator must be a dedicated financial calculator that is battery-powered and not programmable.

What calculators are banned on the CFP exam?

Anything programmable, anything with an alphabetic (QWERTY) keyboard, and anything that can store text. Phones, tablets, smartwatches, and calculator apps are also not allowed. When in doubt, check your exact model against the CFP Board's calculator policy.

Do I need to clear my calculator's memory for the CFP exam?

Yes. Your calculator is inspected and its memory is cleared before the exam, and you clear it again before each session of the exam. If your calculator has printed formulas, notes, or a pull-out reference card, you must cover them with solid-color tape beforehand.

Is the HP 10bII+ or the BA II Plus better for the CFP exam?

Both are fully acceptable and both handle the time value of money, cash flow, and statistics work the CFP exam requires. The HP 10bII+ is popular with CFP candidates specifically, while the BA II Plus is the more universal choice if you also plan to sit the CFA, FRM, or CMA exams. Pick one and learn it thoroughly.

What CFP candidates are saying

“Man, it helped a lot and was a critical part of my study sessions leading up to the CFP exam last month on the 23rd which was my THIRD attempt. I hammered the HARD questions the most especially in Tax, Insurance and Estate which were my weakest sections. With lots of happiness I PASSED and with your software and Dankos Krakens it got me so grooved into what the questions were asking and help identify the critical WORD of the question that determined the right answer.”

Dustin S.

“I did the College for Financial Planning (Kaplan) education course, and the Danko Live Review course. I would say the questions in your quizzes were definitely of the CFP difficulty. Pretty spot on actually. Danko was harder than the actual exam, the CFP provided practice test was a bit easier.”

William Z