<p>Can i take mechanical pencils instead? I'm so used to them and i do work better with them. I find "wood" pencils too light and i waste the lead too easily?</p>
<p>thanks in advance</p>
<p>No. 10char</p>
<p>I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to use a mechanical pencil to work in your test book if the proctor’s okay with it. You should fill out the answer sheet with a regular pencil, though.</p>
<p>but I don’t think you are supposed to even have a mechanical pencil with you.</p>
<p>That’s the dumbest rule ever. I use mechanical pencils on AP tests all the time and I’ve never had a problem with it. If we can use them on AP’s, why can’t we use them on SAT’s?! Blows my mind.</p>
<p>I used a mechanical pencil and my proctor didn’t bother checking. I came up with a few plausible reasons for prohibiting mechanical… #1 The metal tip might tear the Scantron sheet #2 People might use the wrong type of lead, not dark enough #3 The CB is afraid we’ll hide stuff for cheating inside the mechanism :|</p>
<p>Yes, mechanical pencils are completely fine as long as they are No. 2 lead. I’ve used them twice for the whole test and my proctors always try to take them away, but they are foolish because there’s no problem with them.</p>
<p>How dark do pencils actually have to be? What about the marks that you make? I use my 2B drawing pencil, but the mark still isn’t completely black, more a very dark grey. Is that allowed?</p>
<p>This is borderline ridiculous, IMO.</p>
<p>as long as the lead is no. 2, it should be fine
i would take wood pencils just in case, but i dont see a reason you shouldnt be able to use mechanical</p>
<p>Ugh, I know. When I went to take the SATs, I told the proctor that I refuse to write in pencil and my test will be in pretty pink ink. He told me that I couldn’t do it, and if I did I would get a zero. Whatever!!! -z snap- I wrote in it, anyway. GOt a zero, total BS!! My mom called CB and yelled at them for an HOUR!!!</p>
<p>… Okay, not really. But, no one is special. Just a pencil like the rest of us. :)</p>
<p>^ LOL. I thought you were being serious for a second and was like…WOW CC is crazier than I thought!</p>
<p>Thanks for the laugh.</p>
<p>Bottom line: Just use a Number 2 pencil. It’s really not that big of a deal.</p>
<p>A poster’s son got a nasty letter from CB recently for not using a no. 2 pencil. Technically, they can cancel your scores. Quit being difficult and just use a no. 2 like every other mere mortal.</p>
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<p>Source: [SAT</a> Test Day](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools)</p>
<p>Ok, so “technically” you can’t use your mechanical pencils on AP exams, because apparently someone decided to stick a camera in their mechanical pencil to record the questions and got caught. But, most proctors don’t really take it seriously. If you’re worried about it, you can just get those pencils that are mechanical but LOOK like real pencils. I know I can’t stand regular pencils, so that’s my general plan. But then, I know that my proctors are really chill, because they sub at my school. If I were you, I would bring your mechanical pencils, and then if they yell at you, have a regular one ready. Hope this helps : ]</p>
<p>^ yea, I just wrote SAT on saturday and I used pencil-looking mechanical pencil that I got from Chapters (Canadian bookstore). And no one noticed it.</p>
<p>Take one of those mechanical pencils that are made to look like a regular pencil. You might be able to find a good one, but the only one I’ve ever seen that actually looks like a pencil is pretty small.</p>
<p>Edit: Like this one <a href=“http://secure.giantrobot.com/products.php?code=WOODMECHPEN&catid=s005[/url]”>http://secure.giantrobot.com/products.php?code=WOODMECHPEN&catid=s005</a>
Edit 2: Lol I think either I just completely ignored the previous two posts or I opened this thread up an hour ago and only read/replied now.</p>
<p>Used a mechanical pencil my last 2 SATs and on my ACT, proctors didn’t care.</p>
<p>I’m with bluewatermelon.</p>
<p>Unless you have crazy-ass lead it shouldn’t be a problem. My teachers said mechanical pencils are fine. HOWEVER for the essay portion es imprescindible que uses un PEN.</p>
<p>I don’t even get where the rule came from. I used a mechanical pencil for 3 of my SATs, but all of the sudden in March and May, you can’t use them? There’s no real reason and the handwriting of pretty much everyone is more legible with a mechanical pencil than with a wooden one which is incredibly dull by the end of an essay.</p>