Mechanical pencil for test day?

[aximpod]

This might come off as a little foolish but I been using a mechanical pencil for all my practice LSAT.

It uses 0.5mm Lead and I truly believe I write faster with it. Are mechanical pencils allowed on test days?

I never had a problem with using a mechanical pencil on scantron/ Standardized tests before so I'm not too worried that my test will be scored wrong...

What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance.

[DelDad]

They are allowed, and I used one - have a couple, plus a low tech backup available in case of malfunction

[dwharris2]

aximpod,
I recommend an 0.7 mm or even 0.9 mm pencil. The 0.5 one, if you're writing fast and hard, can tear the test paper, as I learned when I took the June test. The paper on the test is nothing like the paper on the preptests; it's flimsy and thin.
Yours,
dwharris2

[lphat]

Would the downside of the 0.7/0.9 mm be that it takes longer to bubble in each answer choice? It sounds stupid, but it's a legitimate concern.

[letylyf]

I used a 0.5 and encountered no problems... but none of this stuff even occurred to me beforehand. I wouldn't stress too much over small details like this. In fact my proctor even had pencils on hand for students, just your typical yellow no. 2 things... I remember cause I was pretty surprised by how many people took her up on the offer. The truth is most people simply are not prepared for the LSAT and haven't put much effort into studying or anything. So that puts those of us who care and prepare in a better position

[dwharris2]

Actually, since the lead is thicker, I thought it'd take less time. But as Letylyf said, these are minor details. I found that with my 0.5 mm pencil, I tore the test paper a couple of times, but that might say more about me than about the test paper!
Yours,
dwharris2

[jeff2486]

Let,

I agree with your point about people being unprepared. I think this point is true for all aspects of life. It is amazing how good you can look by just doing simple things, because most people don't even do those things.

[doctorgonzo]

When I took the test, I did what was suggested and took about ten sharpened #2 pencils with me, plus a mechanical pencil. I wasn't going to be doomed for want of a piece of graphite!

[aximpod]

Thank you for the suggestions.

Good luck tomorrow. I hope you all get 170+

[sep_30_lsat]

My hand was jittery during the first section of the test, so I switched to my more dull wooden pencil, for fear of ripping the answer sheet. I stopped being jittery, but I kept the wooden pencil.

I had four of each type (mechanical, wood) and I made sure the erasers left no marks and were "prepped" (used just a little). I also made sure the tips on the wooden ones were kind of dull.

The answer sheet was pretty strong, though. Not cheap newspaper-type paper.

The test booklet itself was cheap, newspaper-thickness paper.