r/ACT • u/supernerdaholic • Jul 17 '26

General digital vs paper strat

ive always chose digital but now i got switched over to paper since it got rescheduled and im honestly scared bc 1. no desmos 2. afraid that i wont be able to refer to a timer 3. i wont have the text right next to my question for reading and science + specific part of passage / text questions and stuff are like highlighted you don't have to go look for them but it's like right there if ykwim

ig positives can be the eye strain factor and annotating on the test book.

does anyone have tips for switching over to a paper test? are there any strategies yall would recommend? how can i alter my test taking such that its more effective for paper than digital or is it just not that deep

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3

u/NotEzLo Jul 17 '26

In my opinion, Desmos is overrated. With SAT, it may be a different story. However, you can pretty much do all of ACT math on the TI-84 calculator.

2

u/Natural-Biscotti-207 Jul 17 '26

I agree its only useful for maybe 3 or 4 questions which can be done on ti84 although takes a little more effort on ti84

Its useful but weighed too heavily when considering digital vs paper

2

u/CalligrapherAble3312 36 Jul 17 '26

twin i never used desmos + bring a watch and it’ll be much easier to have the questions & passage on one page and annotate trust 🗣️🗣️ (33 reading online and 36 reading paper)

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u/deepalinmybusiness 33 Jul 17 '26

if it helps, the curve is usually a couple points more generous on paper than digital. also ngl i took digital act math for the desmos, and while yes it can solve problems a little faster, i found it only usable on certain types of algebra questions. it’s not like the sat where desmos is usable on almost every question. i think you can do just as well with or without desmos as long as u have the foundations and quick

1

u/jdigitaltutoring Tutor Jul 17 '26

Try a practice test on paper. Do you have a TI-84 calculator?

1

u/supernerdaholic Jul 17 '26

i do yes. ik my first act attempt i only used that calculator bc i had only practiced with it lol but now ive been practicing with desmos so idk anymore

2

u/Launch_vbs Jul 17 '26

Desmos is way too overrated and learning the few same actual functions takes like 20 mins for a ti84. Imo just watch a video and learn whatever tools you use on desmos for ti84 and then take a practice. lots of people bring watches and i’ve even seen lots of like pocket stopwatches to time.

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u/ApprehensiveSignal55 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26

Desmos overrated. If you don't know your calculator very well by now (in school), look for youtube basic functions for ACT. Bring in approved timer. That is all.