<p>I think I write better with mechanical pencils as opposed to Ticonderogas or whatever, so the last time I took the SATs I hid them under my booklet as the proctor walked around, and used them for the test. Nothing bad happened.</p>
<p>So I guess the question is, why exactly are they prohibited?</p>
<p>The Collegeboard and ETS suspect that Mechanical pencils can magically write answers via a super computer microchip installed and guarantee a 2400. </p>
<p>Actually, the reason is that someone put a hidden camera in the mechanical pencil in order to have other people see the SAT questions. The person was caught. It’s harder to put a camera in a regular pencil, so only these can be used. Unfortunately, I can’t verify this, and some dumb donkeys on here will question, justifiably so; however, “WHERE IS YOUR EVIDENCE OF THIS?” or some form of that question, so I give you this quote from the Collegeboard website:</p>
<p>
[SAT</a> Subject Tests - Tips for Your Students](<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-subject/test-day/tips]SAT”>College Board Will No Longer Offer SAT Subject Tests or SAT with Essay – College Board Blog)</p>
<p>^ Collegeboard should ban regular wooden pencils because I’ve been able to punch holes through the answer sheet with such type of pencils as well.</p>
<p>You can hide slips of paper in mechanical pencils.</p>
<p>Also, I think the point is that it is easier to punch a hope with a mechanical pencil, not that is impossible with a traditional pencil.</p>
<p>^ Actually, it’s easier to puncture a hole in the answer sheet with traditional because it requires more friction to bubble in - especially when it starts to get blunt - whereas with mechanical it is much harder because the lead goes on easier to the paper and thus results in less tension on the paper.</p>
<p>But yeah, you can hide slips of paper in mechanical ones.</p>
<p>Solution: Get one of those mechanical pencils that look exactly like a regular pencil.</p>