Using pencil on essay portion

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westibbs

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Like many of you, my handwriting is god-awful. I tend to make a lot of mistakes when i write as well, so erasing would help and make things less messy then crossouts. I’ve seen talk of using pencils for the written portion of the exam in posts before, but I’d like to know, once and for all, if this is ok.
 
Yes, you can use pencil. This has been addressed every year since the invention of lead.
 
Small correction to the above, tehy strongly recommend pen, but will still grade essays written in pencil. bottom line, WRITE IN PEN.
 
THEY GRADE PENCIL, SO WHY WOULD YOU WRITE IN PEN?
UNLESS YOU HAVE PERFECT HANDWRITING AND NEVER MISTAKES I CANNOT SEE THE LOGIC OF WRITING IN PEN
 
First off, they don’t have to be logical, they make the rules.
I’m sure you can look this up on the CFA website and you will find that I am correct. It is also referenced quite clearly on page 281 of the Secret Sauce if you have that.
mcap11 wrote:
THEY GRADE PENCIL, SO WHY WOULD YOU WRITE IN PEN?
UNLESS YOU HAVE PERFECT HANDWRITING AND NEVER MISTAKES I CANNOT SEE THE LOGIC OF WRITING IN PEN
Click to expand...
 
This is a topic that gets discussed so often, ad nauseum, around this time.
no one agrees. but pencil definitely is graded as well.
so write with whatever, and stop this discussion.
thanks
 
email the CFAI and see what they tell you - both are graded, thus both are acceptable
to each his own
 
Ugh leave it to some wannabe pedagogue to put a damper on people’s legitimate concerns. If you don’t want to read about this topic, don’t freaking click the link. Besides, I would say this topic appears less often than “When do you borrow in a cash-and-carry arbitrage?” or “GIPS- memorizing the years?” Please go throw your wet blanket on some other discussion, thanks.
 
BOTH ARE ACCEPTED AND BOTH ARE GRADED
END. OF. STORY.
USE WHAT YOU WANT.
 
Dont know about you guys, but i am writing the whole thing in glitter pen.
 
Please see under CFA website under Testing Policies> Recording Exam Answers Policy> Completing Your Essay Book. The first bullet says “Use blue or black ink.”
However it does not say whether only those types of writing material are allowed. But it also does not follow that pencils will be permitted, or for that matter, glitter pens. If a candidate thinks that a simple CFAI statement like “use blue or black ink” can be interpreted in several ways, then I guess CFAI does not expect him or her to read one curriculum book with ease, let alone the entire set.
 
Nudge, this has been discussed for decades. I sent CFAI an email and pencil is allowed. Past takers stated they used pencils. PENCILS ARE ALLOWED. . Send them an email and you will get the same answer. If you do not want to use a pencil, then don’t.
ENOUGH WITH THIS TOPIC
 
This topic is interesting, reflect people pensonality on investing.
use pen, can’t erase but authorized to be used in exam.
use erasable pen - take the risk that your answers will disappear ( I use a ligher to heat the writing, they disappear immediately) but the writing is erasable and like pen writing
use pencil - erasble but not easy to read by the marker, not openly authorized to be used (imagine the answer might not be graded)
 
A friend of mine is Level III grader and his comment to me was, “just follow directions.”
 
From a different post I read you can’t bring correction fluid or tape into the exam… So best use pencil
 
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