Exam pens

Diarmsquid

So as we all know the Leaving Cert involves a lot of writing.

I've found that after an exam like English which involves a lot of writing, my hand is in bits and it makes the next exam harder.

For the mocks I used those bic biros. You know the ones. But they're not the best.

So has anyone got a preference when it comes to pens?

Fuascailt

The inky kind, with rubber grips. I think the ones i have are called "impact"

declan_lgs

Fuascailt wrote: »

The inky kind, with rubber grips.

YES.

*adds to shopping list*

PurpleFistMixer

Bic cristal medium black. ¬.¬ But yeah, those black biros. When they're almost wasted they get really dark and inky, that's the best time for them.

JSK 252

Anyone use the papermate stick 2020 pens? Light as a feather on the hand. I got a pack of 50 of them for 2 euro last year in reads, Cork ( unfortunately reads has closed:( )

Is Reads still up in Dublin?

Insect Overlord

If you're at a stage where all you have to worry about is what pen to use, then well done!

Anywho, regular Bic biros usually do the job for me. I only ever seem to get problems with red ones, they seem to clog up more easily.
I would recommend strongly against bargain packs of pens (ie bulk-bought in discount shops). I tried using those for my Pre exams last year and it was a disaster.

K4t

I swear by the multi coloured pens, the ones made in France.

The blue biro runs out fairly quickly and they are dear(€3) but I'm addicted to them :eek:

I hate the ink pens!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm left handed and my page is just one big smudge after writing a few lines with one of them.

Bonus points for Left Handers, We want Change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

europerson

JSK 252 wrote: »

Is Reads still up in Dublin?

Yes, it is, and it's recently expanded.

I use Bic Atlantis pens during exams.

Randomness

Bic Velocity Black.................there really is no other pen like it!:D

Mars Bar

Just the normal bic ones...can't use anything else! For some odd reason, the green ones write nicest, obviously you can't write your whole exam in green. It's such a pity!

Piste

There's a pen I like, PilotG-207, it writes very dark and sorta has the look of an inky pen, but it doesn't smudge hich is brilliant for me cos I'm left handed.


Only trouble is it tend to run out quite quickly and when it does it's a bitch to write with as it tend to stick and you'll spend five minutes trying to write out a sentence!

Corruptedmorals

The Papermate ones, http://www.mypencil.com/mall/pap95801.jpg

Not nearly as sore.

declan_lgs

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

The Papermate ones, http://www.mypencil.com/mall/pap95801.jpg

Not nearly as sore.

Them's a good pen.

What about penisland.net pens? "The best pens on the internet!"

shazpunk

Oh thank god I'm aloud type!

But seriously, pens etc. are like the least of my worries right now....

PurpleFistMixer

shazpunk wrote: »

Oh thank god I'm aloud type!

Lucky!
I type so much faster than I write.

thatone!

I like the one's that start with an "s" can't remember the name but the green one is a really nice one

shazpunk

PurpleFistMixer wrote: »

Lucky!
I type so much faster than I write.

Lol I know! I typed for my JC too and was finished SOO much earlyer than everyone else, and came out with A's

Ive a feeling the same wont happen this time though

gaeilgegrinds

Bic Atlantis are excellent. Easy to read too!

swimfan22

I use fountain pens when I write. Find them easier to use, they help my writing "flow" better. Got one when I was away made by this Spanish company, Inoxcrom, and I love it! Only thing is, you have to keep refilling it with ink cartridges, not the best when you're scribbling in exams! And not ideal for lefties cos the ink can smudge. But I love 'em!

BarryDoodles

Staedler! Blue, black and red two of each: suits all exams.
They flow, never clog, they're a light colour(make my examiner feel at ease)
I adore them

melboix

I regular-black-Bic-pen it up...I've heard it's meant to help hand cramps to have one thick pen and one thin pen to alternate between during the longer exams. Dunno how true it is, but I figured I'd throw it out there!

kwestfan08

BarryDoodles wrote: »

Staedler! Blue, black and red two of each: suits all exams.
They flow, never clog, they're a light colour(make my examiner feel at ease)
I adore them

+1:D. A class pen.

MathsManiac

declan_lgs wrote: »

Them's a good pen.

What about penisland.net pens? "The best pens on the internet!"

Friend of mine checked out that website.

It wasn't at all like he expected!

Ekels

I'm a Staedtler fan. I really like the ink. They write much smoother than bic, imo.

Ekels

Are those Papermate pens inky? I'm a leftie too.

Anyone who is commenting on people discussing pens, please wake up. It's essential that you're using a pen which you're comfortable with and looks decent on the page. As the cliché goes, it may be the difference between an A2 and a B1 etc. etc.

Ekels

kwestfan08 wrote: »

+1:D. A class pen.

Staedtler never fail me.

disssco

Bics are crap. I use zebra gels, they make writing fun.

Ekels

I just bought four of these. They are very comfortable and light. The ink isn't that nice though, Staedtler ink is just excellent. But as long as they're comfortable, that's all that matters really.

Cheers for the tip off.

orangetictac

cant beat staedtler, cheapy cheap, maybe i should get those rubber grips 4 em though.

Bizzi Lizzy

heard on the radio today - instead of putting the pen between your index finger and your thumb you should put it between your index finger and your middle finger and then it won't hurt - don't know if this is true because I haven't tried it but maybe it's worth a go.

JC 2K3

I've never bought a pen in my life.....

Usually use a clicky pen I get free somewhere. Did for my LC.

europerson

Bizzi Lizzy wrote: »

heard on the radio today - instead of putting the pen between your index finger and your thumb you should put it between your index finger and your middle finger and then it won't hurt - don't know if this is true because I haven't tried it but maybe it's worth a go.

Now is not a good time to re-learn how to write, I should think.

junior_apollo

shazpunk wrote: »

Oh thank god I'm aloud type!

But seriously, pens etc. are like the least of my worries right now....

I'm really hoping you are also "aloud" use a dictionary...

Gel Pens are easily the best.. and most come with the rubber grips... I like the Pilot Pens... G2 or variations thereof are my favourite...

SQDD

Staedtler all the way, nothing beats German efficiency, altho seriously if your content is $hit no pen is going to save you

PurpleFistMixer

Bizzi Lizzy wrote: »

heard on the radio today - instead of putting the pen between your index finger and your thumb you should put it between your index finger and your middle finger and then it won't hurt - don't know if this is true because I haven't tried it but maybe it's worth a go.

Gave it a go.. my handwriting is pretty much the same.. bit messier because I can't rest my hand on the page like that.. but I've got a bump on the finger where I normally rest my pen, so it's more comfortable on that finger. Everyone writes a bit differently anyway, if you watch people.

-Els-

All through my JC I used these pens that had rubbers on top. they saved my life! Cant remember the name but they were light brown and skinny with a little rubber on top. I tend to write before I think and so my work (especially in english) tends to be messy. Also if you forget to add something or realise somethingsa wrong at the end you can fix it and its just easier and neater. The only thing is they run out really fast, I went through like 12 in the 2 weeks!!

lovechem

Bizzi Lizzy wrote: »

heard on the radio today - instead of putting the pen between your index finger and your thumb you should put it between your index finger and your middle finger and then it won't hurt - don't know if this is true because I haven't tried it but maybe it's worth a go.

Thats how I write normally, and it makes no difference whatsover!! Still dying after the exam plus i have a perma-welt on my middle finger that people who write the normal way don't! Stick to what your used to

titan18

shazpunk wrote: »

Oh thank god I'm aloud type!

But seriously, pens etc. are like the least of my worries right now....

How did u get to be allowed to type

Nato!

Bic 4 in 1 is the man for any job

gaz d

they those massive blue things!
Not a chance,
i use the normal bic's with a gripper thing to stop it wrecking my fingers.

Nato!

i have been using them for ages and there the only pens i have been able to keep until they waste

MaltEagle

So which is better? Blue or Black pens?

Kurtosis

lovechem wrote: »

Thats how I write normally, and it makes no difference whatsover!! Still dying after the exam plus i have a perma-welt on my middle finger that people who write the normal way don't! Stick to what your used to

I thought I wrote the normal way, but I get that on my middle finger too! I'll have to try the "normal" way sometime!

As for blue versus black, I always write with blue. I dunno, black always seems to make the page look very dirty or smudged...it's just personal preference though.

Fad

titan18 wrote: »

How did u get to be allowed to type

broken arm or something, or a medical condition

Mars Bar

Blue for me but the Black came out alright in my History mock...

Peleus

if you really want to do well in the leaving, write in red, or green. examiners love that!
blue is better because black doesn't stand out from the black lines in the page. So your work looks sorta boring. And black ink smudges alot more for some reason.

DancingRainDrop

Here's a tip: don't use red or green

apparantly it will annoy examiners because the correcter corrects in red and then the surpervisor corrects in green
so it might make your script look all over the place

highlighers work a treat though

lovechem

Blue is the best

Ya bout the highlighting, whats the deal with that? My religion teacher harps on about it all the time, but I thought it would annoy the examiners. Kinda like suggesting they're unable to pick out the key points/issues etc.

DancingRainDrop

they're allowed but use them sparingly
so don't go highlighter crazy
just highlight key terms for subjects like biology home ec business economics
i don't think they'd be great use for languages
or even just highlight headings to give a bit of colour
because i'm sure reading a script in the same colour pen would get annoying

-Els-

titan18 wrote: »

How did u get to be allowed to type

You're allowed to type if you have Dyslexia or another learnign difficulty. The school cant just say you cna type though, an educational psychologist has to reccomend that it would benefit you. Its just like some people can have readers or scribes during exams.

Also, I was always told not to write in Red or green because it can be very difficult to read, particularly Green and Re dis the colour they use to correct so it'll annoy the examiner.
I think your best bet is Black or Blue, personally I prefer black.

BarryDoodles

If i were and examiner and i seen a a mulitcoloured script i would be like hmm someone wasted time... wonderful decoration is not on the marking scheme... I'd agree blue for ev's... i'd use bullet points if your worried about layout