BA II Plus Vs HP 12C Platinum

[kenanadu]

Which of these two do you prefer? [or find easier, more efficient for the CFA exam]

 

[cfajerseycity]

Texas BA II Plus - probably most of 'em prefer. But go with whichever you comfortable.
anyways no big deal as not more than dozen times people have pulled it out on exams - 240 Q's.

 

[gdiddy]

BA II Plus Professional, hands down.

Also, you'll find plenty of threads on this topic if you use the search function.

---------------------------------
2008 Level I Candidate
Currently Studying: CFAI Volume 1, SS 2, Reading 7

 

[wawa]

I prefer the HP12C Platinum, that's the one I like the best simply because I've learned to use it.

I believe they're equally efficient on the exam, which is to say you wont miss the exam simply because you've chosen one over the other.

Run a Google scan for 'HP12C emulator' and you'll find some examples of the HP12C.

 

[Char-Lee]

i also prefer the HP12C, perhaps it's the engineer in me but the reverse polish notation makes more sense especially when executing a several step problem.

 

[stratus]

I borrowed my brother's HP-12 calculator for the exam, and I really like it. But I had already studied some RPN methodology back in high school so I was somewhat familiar with it. As someone said above, RPN is very efficient for calculating multiple-step or complicated problems. But depending on how quantitative your brain is, learning RPN can be of varying degrees of difficulty.

If you think your brain works in a fairly numerical way, I'd suggest the HP-12 (or HP-12C), as RPN just kind of "makes sense" after you learn it. But it might feel kind of strange at first. Ie, you don't really see the benefits of RPN until you start to delve into calculating complex expressions.

If you want something very user-friendly that doesn't have a steeper learning curve, than I'd suggest going with the BA-II. I haven't used it, but from what I understand, BA-II has a nice screen that lets you see what variables you've defined and what you're typing as you go along, whereas the HP-12 only shows you one 10-digit number at a time.

 

[ymc]

Does anyone of you really use HP12C Platinum? Reviews at amazon are pretty bad.

But the reviews for HP12C Platinum 25th Anniversary Edition are pretty good. That's the version I am using.

 

[mhannebert]

The HP12C is much more complicated to use than the TI.

My advice: if you are already familiar with the RPN, you MAY go for the HP. If you are not, then go for the TI.

My personal case: I'm quite familiar with the RPN but nevetheless I have taken the TI and I don't regret it.

As mentionned previously, with the TI you can see the variables names so you are not completely in the dark. That is especialy true for the CF problems - for the usual TVM problems it is less of an issue I think.

I think I read that you can come to the exam with BOTH calculators.
And if you want to make 100 bucks on the exam day, come with an other calculator that you will sell to the stupid guy who will come with a third model... There was one in my exam center in Dec 07.

Best regards,

Marc

 

[wawa]

mhannebert Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
...
> come with an other calculator that you will sell
> to the stupid guy who will come with a third
> model... There was one in my exam center in Dec 07.

There was someone also at my exam center, in June 07. Maybe the same guy.

 

[Ed.Markovich]

Someone I know bought the HP model, deemed it "not user friendly" and bought a TI. Personally, I think he tried to do 2+5, didn't like the result, and gave up on the calculator.

I went with the HP model (12c platinum) and I quite like it. RPN took no time to learn but I suspect it's because I am pretty intuitive when it comes to visualizing stacks and sub-expressions. I definitely prefer RPN now that I've learned it - I even replaced the calculator on Windows with an RPN version.

If your objective is to learn new things and grow your understanding, the RPN model will probably help you with that. Mastering RPN might give you a new way to think about the math you're doing, and that's worth something on its own. For the exam, I suspect the choice of calculator makes no real difference - assuming sufficient practice with the model - although I suspect someone with true mastery of RPN will be quicker in terms of entry than a TI user.