<p>How carefully do you have to fill them in? This might sound ridiculous, but I'm one of those people who are paranoid and meticulously fill in each circle. Then, I run out of time.</p>
<p>Can you just scribble a blob of graphite in the middle of the circle, and the machine will read that? I currently go right up to the line and make sure not to go beyond it, which adds up to a lot of time for sixty-three questions.</p>
<p>Thanks for hearing me out. :)</p>
<p>this is my test taking strategy.</p>
<p>i answer all the questions on the test, making tiny marks inside the answer bubble i pick.</p>
<p>after i finish the test, i review the questions again, as i go through them, i completely fill in the circle.</p>
<p>i outline the circle and then bubble it in horizontally. </p>
<p>this method allows you to change answers quickly and prevents paranoia over if you erased enough lol.</p>
<p>thats how i do it.</p>
<p>I avoid mechanical pencils.</p>
<p>Usually, I just take a #2 pencil and break the tip so that it's very dull and helps me full in bubbles quickly.</p>
<p>Interesting strategies. I'll try them out the next time I take a practice test. :) Thanks!</p>
<p>i also recommend dull pencils. they fill the circles easier and faster.</p>
<p>I asked some people who know about scantrons, and I was told that it's a waste of time to make "perfect" bubbles. As long as you completely cover the letter in the middle of the circle, you're fine. Don't worry if you're a little short or over. I think that anhtimmy's strategy is dangerous; it could really backfire if you have a strict proctor who won't allow you to touch the answer sheet after the test.</p>
<p>I always finish my tests with ~5 mins to spare.
and yes atp, it really depends on the teacher.</p>
<p>luckily, i take the test at the school i attend. and the teachers are more "lenient".</p>
<p>Proctors can't look everywhere at once. Just fill in the bubbles during a later section if you run out of time.</p>
<p>supposedlyy, according to the sat admission thing, it says no mechanical pencils anyway. h sucks for me, i guess, since i'm one of those neat freaks who has to sharpen her pencil every 5 minutes to write an essay. x_X</p>
<p>^I hear you. For the essay I bring a bunch of sharpened #2's (there is no limit as to how many you can have on your desk). For the rest of the test I always use a mechanical pencil to write with and a dull #2 to "bubble in". Only once in my umpteen takes a proctor enforced a ban on mechanical pencils; she was just getting back at me for voicing an objection over her timing mistake.
No need to be obsessed with precision when filling in bubbles.</p>
<p>Actually, I used a mechanical pencil on the SAT II Math Lvl 2, SAT I (only for writing the essay though), and PLAN and nothing bad has ever happened.</p>