Can you use a calculator on the HESI A2? Yes, a basic on-screen one
Written and reviewed by Brittany Scott, BSN, RN, CCM · 3 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
Yes. The HESI A2 provides a basic on-screen calculator for the math section, and you cannot bring your own. College guides describe it as very simple, covering addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It does not give you a conversion chart, so memorize household and metric conversions before test day.
What the colleges say
Tarrant County College's HESI A2 page (updated August 2026) lists the math section at 55 questions and states that an on-screen calculator is available during testing. Texas State Technical College's guide (updated October 2026) says a basic on-screen calculator is provided.
South University's HESI math study guide is the most specific. It says you will have access to a very simple on-screen calculator, that you may not bring or use your own, and that you should not rely on it for much beyond the four basic operations. It adds that the test should not require more than that.
What the calculator will not do for you
The common misunderstanding is that the screen will help with conversions. None of the college guides we checked say a conversion chart or formula sheet appears, and South University prints its own conversion table for you to learn, such as 1 cup equals 8 ounces and 1 quart equals 2 pints.
The calculator also cannot set up a problem. HESI A2 math leans on ratio and proportion, so the work that earns the point is writing the proportion correctly. Once the setup is right, the calculator only handles the multiplication and division.
How to practice with it
Do your practice math with a plain four-function calculator, not your phone's scientific mode, so you do not rely on keys you will not have. Clicking numbers on a screen is slower than typing, so for simple steps like halving a number or moving a decimal, mental math is often faster.
We found no picture or key list for the A2 calculator from Elsevier, and testing can be on campus or remote through a testing provider. Read the instructions your school or testing site sends after registration, and use any tutorial screen offered before the timed section starts.
A worked example: where the calculator helps and where it does not
Take a question asking how many cups are in 3 quarts. The calculator cannot start this one. You need two facts from memory, 1 quart equals 2 pints and 1 pint equals 2 cups, which make 1 quart equal 4 cups. Only then is there arithmetic to do: 3 times 4 is 12 cups.
Now take a question asking for 15 percent of 240. Here the setup is easy and the calculator saves time: 0.15 times 240 is 36. The pattern holds across the section; the calculator is useful for multiplication and division with awkward numbers and useless for facts you have not learned.
Sources
Tarrant County College: HESI A2 exam information. On-screen calculator available during math (updated August 2026)
Texas State Technical College: HESI A2 study guide. Basic on-screen calculator is provided (updated October 2026)
South University: HESI Math Study Guide. Very simple on-screen calculator, no personal calculators, four operations, conversion table to learn
Common questions
Can I bring my own calculator to the HESI A2?
No. South University's HESI math guide says you may not bring or use your own calculator; you use the one built into the exam screen.
What does the HESI A2 calculator look like?
We found no Elsevier image of it. College guides describe a very simple on-screen calculator for the four basic operations, so expect no scientific or graphing functions.
Does the HESI A2 give you conversions?
None of the college sources we checked say so. Memorize the household and metric conversions yourself; the calculator cannot tell you that a pint is 2 cups.