2.3 Calculator, Scratch Paper, Devices, and the Testing Environment

2.3 Calculator, Scratch Paper, Devices, and the Testing Environment

Quick Summary: OPM's Occupational Math instructions state: you MAY use a calculator and scratch paper to answer the questions. The preparation tips for that assessment tell you to prepare your testing station with scratch paper, a pencil or pen, and a calculator. The Occupational Reasoning tips likewise say to have scratch paper and a writing utensil ready. USA Hire Standard Assessments use a mobile-first design, and OPM lists proctored or un-proctored testing as a platform feature.

What OPM actually permits

The published rules are short, and their brevity is itself informative.

OPM does not publish a permitted-calculator specification. There is no published rule limiting you to a four-function or non-programmable model, and no statement that an on-screen calculator is provided. If a prep source gives you a detailed banned-calculator list for USA Hire, it is not quoting OPM.

The same applies to hardware. OPM does not publish minimum screen resolutions, bandwidth figures, operating system versions, or a ban on second monitors for USA Hire. Those specifications circulate widely and none of them come from OPM.

The mobile question

This is where prep material most often gets USA Hire backwards, so it is worth stating clearly.

OPM describes the Standard Assessments as having a mobile-first design. In the platform's own account of why applicant completion rates improved dramatically — from a 43% did-not-start rate in an earlier period to 9% in the most recent twelve months reported — mobile enablement is named as one of three enhancements responsible, alongside automatic reminder emails and immediate testing after submitting an application.

The Early Career Talent Assessment is even more explicit: it can be completed on a mobile device (smart phone, tablet, etc.) or on a computer, and is designed for completion on a mobile device or laptop/desktop.

So the claim that phones and tablets are "strictly unsupported" is the opposite of OPM's position.

That said, supported is not the same as optimal. For your own sake:

• The Occupational Judgment Assessment plays video with the scenario information on the upper left, the video on the upper right, and four courses of action across the bottom half of the screen. That layout is far easier to work with on a larger display.
• The Occupational Reading Assessment presents passages and tables. A wider screen reduces scrolling between the table and the question.
• Occupational Math benefits from a real desk because you will want scratch paper and a calculator beside you.

A reasonable rule: use whatever device you have, but if you have a laptop or desktop available, use it for the timed assessments and save the phone for convenience on the untimed Interaction assessment.

Proctored or un-proctored

OPM lists proctored or un-proctored testing as a USA Hire key feature. Many applicants complete the battery at home without observation, but you should not treat that as guaranteed. The announcement language states that cheating on an assessment may result in removal from consideration.

Setting up your station

OPM's own preparation tips are practical, and worth following literally.

For Occupational Math:

• Make sure you have all allowed materials, including scratch paper, a pencil or pen, and a calculator.
• Draw diagrams whenever possible to help visualise different scenarios.
• If time permits, double-check your work before clicking RECORD ANSWER.

For Occupational Reasoning:

• Have scratch paper and a writing utensil ready.
• Use lists or visuals to organise the information provided in the question.

For the Occupational Judgment Assessment, the video can be viewed with closed captioning by clicking the closed captioning button located to the left of the volume button. If you are testing somewhere you cannot use sound, or you simply process text more reliably than audio, turn captions on.

A sensible environment checklist

None of the following is an OPM rule; all of it is ordinary good practice for a timed online assessment where answers cannot be revised.

• Test somewhere quiet where you can work through an entire assessment without interruption.
• Have scratch paper, a pen, and a calculator physically on the desk before you start the math assessment.
• Make sure the device is charged or plugged in.
• Use a stable internet connection rather than a marginal one.
• Have headphones available for the Judgment assessment's videos, or plan to use closed captioning.
• Start a timed assessment only when you can finish it.