Working Without a Calculator

The Science section bans calculators because almost nothing on it actually requires arithmetic. The numbers in tables and graphs are there to be read and compared, not computed. When a question asks which trial gave the biggest result or how concentration changed across a table, it wants you to look at place value and exponents and size things up, not punch in digits.

For decimals like 0.0034 and 0.00034, count the zeros after the decimal point before the first nonzero digit. 0.0034 has two zeros then a 3; 0.00034 has three zeros then a 3. Fewer leading zeros means the value sits closer to 1, so 0.0034 is the bigger number, exactly ten times bigger, since the two differ by one decimal place. No multiplication needed, just careful counting.

Scientific notation works the same way but even faster: compare exponents first. Between 3.2 x 10⁴ and 9.7 x 10³, the exponents are 4 and 3. Because 10⁴ is already ten times 10³, the value with the larger exponent wins even if its leading digit is smaller. Only if the exponents match do you glance at the leading digits to break the tie. This habit connects directly to how the section rewards speed: every minute spent computing is a minute not spent reading the next passage, and with forty minutes for six passages, fast ranking is what keeps you on pace.