<p>Nightmare story for my S's ACT Saturday. He thought he was being so careful by bringing 3 mechanical pencils to the test. The proctor then says that on the back of the ticket it says no mechanical pencils, so she lends him a plain lead pencil. Half way through the reading section, the lead breaks. He spent the remaining time trying to bubble in the answers with about a 1/4 inch piece of lead, having to wait until the break to sharpen the pencil.</p>
<p>READ all of the instructions!! Lesson learned. Oh well, he is a junior and can take the test again.</p>
<p>I brought a few wooden pencils, and a mechanical pencil. I was using the wooden one because I read that, until I realized that everyone was using mechanical pencils. So come essay time, I wip out my mechanical pencil and pwn the essay :)</p>
<p>you should bring wooden pencils because that' what they require...however, if your proctor said that he couldn't use mechanical pencils, your proctor is frankly stupid. There is no difference whatsoever, and if you feel that you will meet another person like htis, get #2 mechanical pencils (yes, such a thing exists) and they will have NO EXCUSE for not letting you mark your answers.</p>
<p>I have done tests for years and I prefer mechanical pencils because they last longer and feel more comfortable, so get one or two pencils, but don't forget those mechanical ones...and pray you don't get such a proctor again!</p>
<p>the reason is that there are so many different types of lead you can buy for mechanical pencils, it is difficult to get the correct type, but there is actually no problem with using mechanical pencils.</p>
<p>I went out and bought a BIC five pack of mechanical pencils the morning of the test because, let's face it, they're sweet. Lo and behold, the proctor was like.. no, you can't use them, they are bad. Stupid ACT jerks.</p>
<p>The proctors don't really work for ACT, and ACT doesn't instruct them to take your mechanical pencils away or make you use a wooden pencil. I think that this sort of thing is rare.</p>
<p>That said . . . one of the reasons for ACT's pencil recommendations is that sometimes someone else's gridding on the front of their answer sheet can transfer to the back (test side) of YOUR answer sheet when they're stacked up, thereby screwing up your scoring. I'm not sure if mechanical pencils are specifically implicated in this problem, but if your pencil insurgence could screw up someone else's scores, then you should be required to comply with the guidelines. Except on the writing test, where it wouldn't matter.</p>