comments on: why can’t i use a mechanical pencil on the act or sat? - 加拿大vs摩洛哥欧赔 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/ act, sat, college admissions, life sat, 09 apr 2022 18:52:13 +0000 hourly 1 by: magoosh test prep expert //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-388046 sat, 09 apr 2022 18:52:13 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-388046 in reply to baruch.

hi baruch,
as our blog article notes, even if your mechanical pencil is no. 2, it shouldn’t be used on these tests because “they are thin and prone to breaking, which means your marks may not be as readable as the thicker, darker marks you can achieve with an old-school number 2 pencil. the sat and act scoring machines need to process score sheets fast, which means any variation might delay the process. so take their word for it and use a wooden #2.”

i hope this helps a bit! try not to let a small rule get you down! 🙂

]]> by: baruch //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-387839 mon, 28 mar 2022 17:17:26 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-387839 what about the mechanical pencils that say no.2? they use the same lead which seems to be the reason why normal mechanical pencils are not allowed, i’ve asked this question and have never received a real answer other than “the rules are rules”. and it’s always bothered me. i’ve even gotten in trouble for using no.2 mechanical pencils because it was “against” the rules.

]]> by: magoosh test prep expert //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-204238 fri, 22 dec 2017 02:06:09 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-204238 in reply to ally.

hi ally,

i used mechanical pencil on my act and it was okay. as long as the lead is readable to the scanner, it will be okay. i wouldn’t worry too much. good luck! 🙂

]]> by: ally //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-204224 wed, 20 dec 2017 20:37:43 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-204224 i accidentally used my mechanical pencil for a long time on one portion, but afterwards i used my normal wooden #2 over all of the answers. will i be okay?

]]> by: magoosh test prep expert //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-199653 sat, 21 jan 2017 10:22:21 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-199653 in reply to jack becker.

that’s an interesting point, jack! it would take some serious determination to stash notes, but stressed students are ingenious. thanks for sharing. 🙂

]]> by: jack becker //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-199637 thu, 19 jan 2017 22:53:16 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-199637 i took the nyc specialized high schools admissions test (shsat) and they prohibited the use of mechanical pencils because of the fear that the test takers would stash notes/cheats inside of them.

]]> by: kristin fracchia //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-189646 wed, 18 may 2016 18:35:29 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-189646 seriously! this is great!!

]]> by: rita kreig //www.catharsisit.com/hs/act/mechanical-pencil-on-the-act-or-sat/#comment-189645 wed, 18 may 2016 18:30:04 +0000 //www.catharsisit.com/hs/?p=6715#comment-189645 this is fascinating! i’ve kinda wondered about this since middle school and i had no idea the answer was so nuanced!

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