Pens To Write Exams.

[gautamgrover]

I am a 12th class commerce student. I want to know whether it will be good to use fountain pen to write board exams or any other kind of pen. Please recommend a pen that is smooth, affordable, has a fine nib and is easy to write with for a long time.

[sopa]

Welcome to the forums, Gautam! Writing your exams with a fountain pen would benefits, mainly due to reduced hand fatigue. However, you'd have to consider two main points - one, you're likely to encounter poor quality paper and some consequent feathering; two, you want to use an absolutely waterproof ink to safeguard your answers (and perhaps your future career) from some sloppy handling by some examiner somewhere.

 

As for suitable pens, perhaps you could look at eyedropper-converter Platinum Preppy.

[melon]

I personally like the pilot vanishing point for times like this. It's not going to suit everyone because of the clip position but it's a pen that I don't have to worry about when concentrating on exams etc. I can change the cartridge quickly rather than use a bottle etc if needed and it delivers a faultless fine line. The pen doesn't dry up and I don't worry about the cap rolling away (I don't post caps)

[View from the Loft]

I used fountain pens for all of my exams in school, college and my professional exams.

 

I concur with the poster above that the paper in exam books is often poor quality, but that can be dealt with by using a dry ink. If you aren't used to fountain pens, please don't use one in an exam without spending time getting used to the pen and finding an ink that meets your needs.

 

Good luck.

[hari317]

I am a 12th class commerce student. I want to know whether it will be good to use fountain pen to write board exams or any other kind of pen. Please recommend a pen that is smooth, affordable, has a fine nib and is easy to write with for a long time.

well i wrote both my board exams in the early 90s with a flair fountain pen and Chelpark ferro gallic blue black ink as was recommended in those days.

 

Today, I would recommend a Pilot Non Self Filling pen in F paired with Pilot Blue-Black ink which is quite water proof.

[subbucal]

Hi Grover,

 

Look at smooth F nibs. Pilot produces good quality ones.

[subbu68]

What is the price point you are looking at? Camlin Elegante or Trinity are nice. So too the Chinese ones now freely available in India.

[amondalju]

I would go for a clear demonstrator eyedropper filled FP with Fine-medium nib for exam. My ink choice would be Noodles Black.

 

Eyedropper pen would hold atleast 3-4 ml of ink which is sufficient for 3 hours long exam, combined with a Fine-medium nib would reduce amount of ink deposition. Also fine nib is preferable as the paper quality might vary.

 

Noodlers black is one of the waterproof, bleachproof ink I know. Of course my knowledge is limited to online forums and youtube videos. There could be other inks which is also waterproof.

 

Well, I am on pursuit of procuring the same for my own. Hope this helps.. Cheers..

[amarjit]

I would go for a clear demonstrator eyedropper filled FP with Fine-medium nib for exam. My ink choice would be Noodles Black.

 

Eyedropper pen would hold atleast 3-4 ml of ink which is sufficient for 3 hours long exam, combined with a Fine-medium nib would reduce amount of ink deposition. Also fine nib is preferable as the paper quality might vary.

 

Noodlers black is one of the waterproof, bleachproof ink I know. Of course my knowledge is limited to online forums and youtube videos. There could be other inks which is also waterproof.

 

Well, I am on pursuit of procuring the same for my own. Hope this helps.. Cheers..

Noodler Black is not available in india

[mhguda]

Whatever pen you chose, as an examiner I'd recommend you choose a sufficiently dark ink and make sure you have enough ink flow to be easily legible.

Some of my students submitted work written with fountain pens and the ink was so light I had much trouble reading what they wrote!

There was a review on this board of Daytone blue black which is a very nice color. And if you want waterproof the Hero 23x series are very nice and inexpensive as well.

[fplover01]

I have had good results with Pelikan M205 and Pelikan 4001 black ink. or Lamy blue ink.

[amondalju]

Noodler Black is not available in india

Yes, I know. But you can get it from ebay.

[prashant.tikekar]

I think Hari's suggestion is perfect. Pilot non-self filling F pen is perfect for exams. It is inexpensive so you can use cheap ink like camlin black which flows well. No need to worry about waterproofness as board exam papers are handled with at least that much care.

[deepak23]

Please be aware that most of the paper used in exams is not chlorine free. This means that fountain pen inks can get bleached in a very short time, especially if you are using washable royal blue. In my opinion you are better off with using a ball point. You have a lifetime to use FPs, why risk it at this critical stage.

I would recommend some Uni Jetstream pens. Those are smooth and also quite permanent...

[s_t_e_v_e]

Please be aware that most of the paper used in exams is not chlorine free. This means that fountain pen inks can get bleached in a very short time, especially if you are using washable royal blue. In my opinion you are better off with using a ball point. You have a lifetime to use FPs, why risk it at this critical stage.

I would recommend some Uni Jetstream pens. Those are smooth and also quite permanent...

 

 

I would agree with Deepak's point. Though a fountain pen would make writing an enjoyable experience, given the circumstances, practicality dictates that you use something that would be least detrimental to your purpose.

 

The paper supplied, at least at the time I took those exams in the early 2000s, was absolutely fountain pen unfriendly. Feathering and bleed through will be inevitable let alone the rough and mushy feeling when writing on it, if the paper is still of similar quality.

 

Since your exam will be a race against time, make sure you pick a ballpoint or gel pen and get comfortable writing with it for long sessions. You have to be comfortable writing with the pen without having to worry about the uncertainties. That's the key in my opinion. There will always be an option in the fountain pen world that would be just as good as a ballpoint or gel pen. So in the end it's up to you to pick!

 

Good luck with your exams!

Edited January 26, 2016 by s_t_e_v_e

[DonLeone]

I'm the self-proclaimed expert of the world in this.

 

It depends on your handsize. Get the correct tripod grip. Then just go with the twsbi 580, lamy studio, shaeffer prelude is interesting too, or if you want a light pen, lamy safari/alstar although it seems people find the grip on those problematic in high stress situations. Why?

 

Because in high stress, we do stress tension. Some people like me clench their jaw, straighten and push up their shoulders. Others may grip their pen harder than usual.

 

It may be beneficial to get one of them soft squishy grips and fit them on a pen somehow, if you're one of the hard grippers.

 

On all the suggested pens you'll want an F nib. EF may scratch the paper. M and B will deliver too much ink.

 

For ink, get lamy blue. It's my standard ink. It dries incredibly fast on bad paper, especially with the aforementioned pen selection. Get bottled ink and use converters. Use the refilling process as a meditative period of calm. It will energize. When filling before an exam, my tutees and myself report a feeling of readiness. A feeling of "I can do this". "I'm locked and loaded".

 

Go get em champ <8]

[Tresconik]

The paper they give you in the boards is terrible. Don't use a fountain pen.

[pensnproses]

Gautam if you're giving boards this year I would suggest you to not opt for a new fountain pen right now.

Given that you've hardly any time to get accustomed to a new pen. Please continue with your EDC as before. Last thing you want in the exam hall is to write with a relatively new pen.

PS If you've been a ball point user until now, please commence your Fountain pen journey after your boards.

All the Best for your Boards!

[roycalligraphy]

Don't use a FP as the few others suggest . But if you are very keen and have a nice cursive hand you can try some not wet inks with any fine or extra fined nibbed pen . I have used fp's in my MCom papers ,the Journals and ledgers look real nice with the cursive hand .

[LizB]

Without knowing any better, I've used fountain pens in exams for over 25 years. (Sheaffer Triumph with black cartridges). I haven't failed one yet. Definitely helped with smooth writing and hand fatigue.