I’ve had some trouble with exams in the past because I’m a little OCD when it comes to filling in those circles. How sensitive do you think the grading machines are? What’s the fastest way to fill out these circles? Do you go in a circular motion starting from the center, or do you use horizontal strokes (and go a little outside the circle)? I’m always paranoid about going outside the circle too much or not filling the circle completely.
I’m planning on using Ticonderoga wooden pencils with a Magic Rub Eraser.
the bubbles in my exam were just little tiny rectangles so it was pretty quick/easy to fill in an answer. I assumed it would have been the same everywhere.
You really should worry about less trivial things. The speed in which you fill in a bubble is not going to matter. The being said, I used the same 0.7mm Pentel mechanical drafting pencils for all 3 exams, even on the essay portion of Level 3. 0.5mm is always to thin for me and I always end up breaking the lead if I write to fast or hard.
You think you are OCD? I had 10 new sharp pencils , 2 ba calculators and 2 new erasers. I think the person sitting next to me felt quite sad when I started arranging everything in a perfect geometrical order with the engraved leterings from the pencils facing up. I even had a designated spot on the table for the eraser crumbs.
Oh and I’d go against the mechanical pencil suggestion unless you are really used to it. I find its easier to fill a circle completely with the standard soft pencil. As for circle completion : outline the circle first, then fill in the center in a spiral motion.
Unsharpened pencil (fat tip) is faster to fill circles
Also, unlike Schweser, I think it’s better to avoid the answer sheet until the end of the exam. You don’t waste time going back and forth (240 times for Level I). Just make sure to stop whatever you’re doing and go to the answer sheet when there are maybe 15 or 30 (just to make sure) minutes left.
If you’re well prepared and absolutely sure you’ll pass you don’t need any of this, yadda yadda. But if you guess a couple questions from lack of time and then fails band 10 the little things may feel bigger.
Nice… and then after you finish filling in all the circles, take the answer sheet, and start licking the circles so they smear with 3 minutes left. Make sure to emote sounds of passion and lust. Observe how the proctors react.
Ticonderoga 1388-2/HB soft, the very best there is.
When you absolutely, positively got to bubble your answer sheet on the exam, acccept no subsitute!!!
I personally used 7 sharp ticonderoga in the morning and 9 in the afternoon. Don’t ask me why I use 2 extra in the afternoon. I just got sloppy towards the end of the exam.
Carpenter pencils are a close 2nd. Never tried them on an exam but the pencil is robust enough to survive in a construction environment.
Dixon Ticonderoga Black and a bold X through each bubble. Yellow pencils and dainty circles are a sign of weakness, black pencils mean you’re not f–king around. It’s business time. My tablemate was visibly upset when I pulled out the Ticonderoga Blacks last year.