Numerical questions need working out, and you should not have to leave the test to do it. Two tools are built in.
The built-in calculator
There is a calculator you can open inside the test. It works as you would expect, and closing it does not lose what is on the display.
You are welcome to use your own instead if you prefer. Nothing is monitoring which you use.
The rough paper panel
There is a notes panel, labelled Rough paper. It gives you somewhere to jot working, keep track of a figure, or note why you narrowed the options down.
Two things worth knowing:
- Notes are kept per question. Opening the panel on a question shows the notes you made on that question, so your working stays with the thing it belongs to.
- Notes are yours. They are not scored and they are not shown to the employer.
Neither tool stops the clock
Opening the calculator or the rough paper does not pause a timed test. They sit alongside the question rather than replacing it, so you are working, not waiting.
If you would rather use real paper
That is fine, and plenty of people find it faster. Have it ready before you begin, because the clock starts when the test does and looking for a pen costs you the same as anything else.
Which tests have these tools
They are available on the tests where they are useful, which in practice means the timed reasoning tests. Personality and motivation questionnaires have neither, because there is nothing to work out: they ask what you think, not what the answer is.