But what’s the problem with mechanical pencils? “My mechanical pencils DO use No. 2 pencil: the perfect balance between dark enough graphite and hard enough clay. A harder pencil can be sharpened to a finer point, but because there is less graphite in the graphite-clay blend, the pencil makes a much lighter mark on the page. Adding more clay to the blend makes the pencil harder. With less clay mixed in, the graphite tube in the center of the pencil is much softer…which means that the mark is darker, but also smudgy. Pencils are made with graphite mixed with a little clay to hold the graphite together. 2 is also called ‘HB’ in other parts of the world, according to this handy chart.*Īll of these many different pencil numbers (and letters!) have varying degrees of darkness and hardness when they mark on paper. It turns out, there are actually a whole scale of different pencil types, though many of us are only familiar with the trusty yellow No. She had just failed an exam because she used a number 1 pencil to fill in the bubbles. “Number one pencils EXIST?!” I asked my friend Crystal with confusion. So take their word for it and use a wooden #2.īut the long answer is far more interesting…. The SAT and ACT scoring machines need to process score sheets fast, which means any variation might delay the process. In addition, 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. 2 pencil and mechanical pencils are not always regulated as No. The short answer is that you can’t use a mechanical pencil on the SAT or ACT because answer sheet scanners are specifically calibrated to detect the marks made by a No. 2, though? Would using a mechanical pencil really make that much of a difference? This means that they won’t count your answers, even if they’re right-because they can’t see your answers. The machines that the test-makers use to mark the score sheets don’t pick up on the markings. For the SAT and ACT, however, using a mechanical pencil may put your score in peril. Or, in fact, a lot of standardized tests. That’s right-you can’t use a mechanical pencil on the ACT.
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