United States
Hong KongCalculator and materials
You do not bring your own calculator or writing materials. Any calculator is provided by the test center or built into the exam software, and the center supplies whatever note materials are permitted.
A small rule with a real consequence, because roughly a fifth of the scored paper is arithmetic.
The rule
Personal items are stored. You do not bring a calculator, paper or notes into the room.
Where a calculator is available it is provided by the center or built into the exam software, and the current candidate rules govern which.
Why it matters more here than elsewhere
Order Entry and Processing is 18 of the 80 scored questions and its largest area is calculations. A candidate who has drilled every conversion on a familiar handheld calculator, and then meets an on-screen one with a different layout, loses seconds on every calculation at 73 seconds a question. Practice without your own device from the start.
The arithmetic you should not be calculating at all
The conversions. Five mL to a teaspoon, 15 to a tablespoon, 30 to a fluid ounce, 2.2 pounds to a kilogram.
These should arrive as recall, not as a calculation. Any of them you have to work out is time taken from a question that genuinely needs it.
Note materials
The center supplies whatever is permitted and it stays in the room. Do not plan a strategy that depends on writing out a reference table at the start unless you have confirmed the rules allow it.
Check the current rules
Pearson VUE and PTCB publish the candidate rules and they govern. They also change. Read them close to your date rather than relying on a summary.
Common questions
Can I use a calculator on the PTCB exam?
Not your own. Any calculator is provided by the center or built into the exam software.
Can I bring scratch paper?
No. The center supplies whatever note materials are permitted.
Why does this matter?
Roughly a fifth of the scored paper is arithmetic, at about 73 seconds a question.
How should I practice?
Without your own calculator, so the unfamiliar interface costs you nothing on the day.
Should I calculate conversions?
No. They should be recall. Working one out costs time a harder question needs.