BA II Plus: shaving a minute off every question
Memory registers, the exponent key, and the habits that stop you re-entering the same number four times.
4 min read
Use the memories
STO followed by a digit stores the display; RCL followed by the same digit recalls it. On a multi-part question, storing the annuity factor once and recalling it three times is both faster and safer than retyping a nine-digit number.
The yˣ key is your annuity factor
aₙ = (1 − vⁿ)/i is four keystrokes: 1.06 yˣ 10 +/− = gives v¹⁰ directly. Candidates who compute annuity factors this way rather than through TVM often find it faster for one-off factors, and it leaves the TVM registers untouched for the main calculation.
Habits that pay
Three routines are worth building until they are automatic.
- Clear the relevant worksheet before every new question, not after.
- Write the answer down before pressing anything else — the display is one keystroke from gone.
- Check BGN is off unless you deliberately turned it on.