Anyones got any idea about whats the standard life of BAII plus calculator batteries? I bought my BAII plus calculator in Jan 2007, should i get the batteries replaced for June 09 exam?..i dont want the calculator to conk off right in the middle of the exam, and this model requires screw driver to open the case to change the batteries…
In my opinion, although it’s highly unlikely your calculator battery will die in the middle of the exam, you should change the batteries a few days before the exam. The peace of mind is worth it.
You tell us that you bought your calculator in Jan 2007… but how old are your batteries? You don’t know, actually. I’d replace them.
I am in the same boat as you are, bought the calculator in March 2007 and am confused whether to change it or not. I plan to buy a space battery, may be in may.
I’ve got 2 BA II plus’s and I may just buy another one before the exam. I bought the first one in August '06 and neither is showing any sign of running out of batteries. $30 is a small price to pay for peace of mind on top of 300+ hours of studying.
Does Wal-mart or Target change the batteries ? Or we need to buy it and change it ourselves … BTW i have a very intense engineering degree under my belt … height of laziness 
I’ve had my original BAII Plus since 2003 and still haven’t had to change the batteries. I use it quite a bit so it’s probably any time now. I finally bought a second calculator last year that I use at work. I will probably change the battery in the old one before the exam just as a precaution.
If the calculator works fine the week before the test, the chance of it completely dying during a 6 hour exam is unlikely, but my employer provides us with calculator and batteries, so I always go into the test with a fresh batch.
I have had mine since my MBA school days and haven’t changed the batteries in the last 5 years, ever. works fine and dont want to jinx it. Do carry a spare BAII with me though, to be safe.
gauravku Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am in the same boat as you are, bought the > calculator in March 2007 and am confused whether > to change it or not. I plan to buy a space > battery, may be in may. If that all you have as confusion, I will trade with you because I can solve that problem easily. Which is buy new batery and have a spare calculator ( Borrow from your co-workers)
That’s right tibwa. A spare one is always with me as well. For me, I still use my first calculator which I received as a “present” from a co-worker in 2001 (no, not for my first CFA attempt ;o). He used it for a couple of years before he handed it over and neither he nor I ever changed batteries. Funny enough, the spare one I bought, just to peace my mind, is notably slower in TVM and CF calculations. So i still use to old one every day.
Did the price of calculator bateries go up exponentially?? I remember paying $15 for two batteries. Funny, but related story. When I sat for the LI exam - I left my calculator out in the sun during the lunch break and it got fried. I had to frantically locate a best buy in the area and purchase a new calculator. That was a pretty stressful experience.
I’ve added a new battery a week before the Level I & II exam. The BA II Plus professional doesn’t require a screwdriver so the total time spent on the project < 1 Minute.
Goliath, your post makes me feel so much better! tx!
I used the same BA II plus professional for two exams but seeing the number of candidates with twin calc’s on exam day made me panic and now reading this thread I am really tempted to buy a spare calc
Some things can be left to chance. 2 tests with no batteries, no extra calcs, no screwdrivers and no fails. Its OK to live on the edge.
When I pass level III I am going to have my calculator gold plated. I am going to take the batteries out and have them gold plated as well, and then reinsert them. Depending on how well I do I may even have a replica of my calculator (and the batteries) carved out of solid gold.
24 carat gold mutha uckas.
I bought mine in July 2006. It still works very well.