Hi,

It appears that the HP 20B is now accepted for the FRM exam, along with the HP 12C (including variants), and HP 10B II.

http://www.garp.org/frm/overview/policies/calculator.aspx

This brings up an interesting point. Now that all these accepted calculators (the 12C, 20b and 10bii+) can be repurposed, what's the point of certification? They can be programmed to be memory limited cheat sheets. Are the exam proctors supposed to run a set of diagnostics on each calculator brought to the test?

While HP has given out a limited number of programming cables I'm sure it won't be long before someone (one of us most likely) shows the world how to create your own cable.

Shhhhh!

Katie! Quiet!

Gene,

Too late! I've heard it ;-))

Cheers, Joerg

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Are the exam proctors supposed to run a set of diagnostics on each calculator brought to the test?

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I remember taking my 41CX into an arial cartography exam. I had thirty five different programs loaded, some in reference to the formulas used on the exam. I removed the pertinent programs but not having the card reader or any other saving device I did not want to lose all the other programs also. Two of them were over 400 lines each, and a whole bunch of synthetics that I DID not want to have to reload with the byte jumper.

The proctors knew nothing about the 41C series other then to ask you to show them the alpa display, "MEMORY LOST". Of course it was an easy deal to write a short program attached to the SF 11 "on and run flag" routine. So when I turned the calculator on; "MEMORY LOST" was displayed. That was enough to satisfy them!

d;-)

Edited: 24 May 2011, 5:13 p.m.

I wonder how long before some exam failure claims that Chinese agents/his room mate who hates him/his ex-girlfriend/aliens replaced his calc with one that has been reflashed to give slightly wrong answers?

Well, if it happens then I am sure you (forum in general) will never get another user flashable calc from HP. . . :-(

TW

Surprising. I thought most members of this forum were of the opinion that everything built by the current regime doesn't need any help to generate wrong answers.

<Click Here>

:-)

TW

Edited: 24 May 2011, 5:51 p.m.

There were bugs causing wrong answers even in the calculators developed by the original "regime". It's actually fairly amazing what great work you guys are doing now with as little resources as you have, compared to what the old regime had.

These days, it wouldn't be hard to hack any calculator to put in your own "stuff". Stuff might very well mean replacing the one potted chip that drives the calculator and just using the LCD and keyboard. I did this with an old, dead HP-25 by gutting it and adding a single SX-28 processor. It was pretty easy.

I think that if exams insist on you having an approved calculator that they should let you borrow one of theirs for the test. It's really the only way to eliminate calculator cheating.

Edited: 24 May 2011, 11:16 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

Geoff. I admire your cleverness. Sam

Furthermore, all the test takers should have the same model so no one person has better capabilities over another.

Wink, Wink

;-)

of course, by the time you have written a program replete with "alpha prompts" and labels, there is no need to cheat. After all, dissecting the formula into RPN ingrained the formulae in my head.

It still hurts!

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These days, it wouldn't be hard to hack any calculator to put in your own "stuff".

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That's the problem with these types of rules. They punish the innocent by depriving them of the use of the calculator of their choice, while a determined cheater will find a way to cheat.