Allow Casio FX-991ES and fx-991ES PLUS for Civil Engineer Board Exam on November 2019

"Why did the Professional Regulatory Board of Civil Engineering limit the list of allowed calculators in the next CE Board?

Is it because of the cheating incidents in the previous board exams where examinees were caught using connected calculators with SIM card capability?

If so, the solution is not banning Casio 991ES and 991ES Plus and others, but the stringent monitoring of the calculators to be used plus strict security during the board exam.

Imagine having to prepare for the biggest exam of your life with a tool you’ve practiced with and used for more than 4 years, only to change the rules a little over a month before the exam.

That’s poor decision making on the side of PRC if you ask me.

We are going backward by not letting the takers use the features of the ‘advanced’ calculators like Shift Solve in the Casio 991ES Plus, like how they were used by the previous takers now passers. It is unfair for those who have invested time, effort, and money with their calculators who see they have a long term relationship with, only to have PRC as the ultimate cause of the breakup.

There are consequences to this sudden change: given the timing of the announcement, transitioning to a new calculator will be difficult for the examinees, which could translate to lower National Passing Percentage for this batch.

My suggestion to PRC and the CE Board 2019 examiners is to maintain the previous list of allowable calculators and develop a system in tracking the calculators used by the takers like a scanner or some sort.

That, or they increase the difficulty of the items or change the way they formulate the questions to challenge the takers with the current calculator features.

Ultimately, the adjustment has to come from PRC on this matter, not on the examinees who have worked hard to get that engineering license."

-quote from Engineer Dee Reyes' Facebook post, posted on October 1 at 10:34 PM