[mskcle]

To those of you who have requested pencil and paper and got approved, are you allowed to erase or cross out anything you write down on the paper? I am not completely sure of the guidance on this issue.

[Tim]

Why wouldn't you be allowed to? You're allowed to erase the marker & whiteboard. You just can't take it out with you.

[aaronmo]

I think you might be inventing problems here…

I didn't write down very much (with the supplied marker) and what they gave me was ample for my needs.

My recollection was they didn't want people erasing the white board. Might be state rule…or my memory is off.

[mskcle]

I thought I heard similar stories to Aaron on here about potential problems with erasing on the white boards, just didnt know what the rule may have been for pencil and paper since that is what I will be using for my exam Friday

[Anonymous]

They tell you not to erase anything. I actually ran out of room on my FAR exam this time around and asked for more laminated sheets, which I hate with all my heart:)

[Tim]

Guess my testing center sucks (not a new discovery) but they never told me not to erase and I've done it both intentionally and unintentionally (half smudged out my launch code once) before.

[Recked]

The white boards and markers should not be erase-able, but I think due to costs prometric uses the cheaper markers that you can erase with a tissue or your hand.
Some test centers give you tissues to erase it yourself, while others are sticklers about not erasing but rather requesting new boards.

I did the pencil and paper request for all 4 of my exams. I also used the eraser once when jotting down my formulas during the start screen for BEC.
I think I used the paper the most during the BEC exam.
I write too small to use even the finest tip marker, and most of the markers at my local test center were pretty spent. I asked to look at them after ones of my exams, and felt paper and pencil was definitely the right decision for me.

[BoyNextDoor]

How do we request pencil and paper?

Do we contact the prometric center where we test or our state board of accountancy?

How many days ahead of our exams do we have to request pencil and paper instead of a dry erase pen?

[Jen-J]

@boynextdoor – if you're in a NASBA state, you email candidatecare@nasba.org at least 2 weeks before your exam. Include info like your section ID (on your NTS), the site you're testing at, your name and test date, and which exam you're taking. I wanted to make it easy for them and for my Prometric site. Not sure of the procedure for non-NASBA applicants.

I really recommend it for FAR. I didn't find it necessary for AUD though. I've asked again for REG, and likely will for BEC.

[BoyNextDoor]

@Jen J

Thank you!

[Lemon]

I am glad to hear we can actually request pencil, I find markers really annoying, I can't even see what I'm writing. Totally un-necessary in the middle of this whole other ‘mess' of FAR.

[aaronmo]

I didn't even know this was possible. It also begs the question…if it's an option, then why is the default markers?

But, again, is this really something to worry about?

[mskcle]

Are you allowed to write on your sheets during that 5 minute period? I know NASBA says you won't have time to do so, but does not say you can't?

[Go.For.Broke]

I never understood why testing centers insisted that I not erase anything on my whiteboards – even though – right after coming out of the testing center – they'd erase mine. I did sometimes go in, write down some mnemonics and stuff before beginning the exam, then began. Maybe they'd want to see how much I wrote down, and if it was not above reporach or something. Who in the world knows?

I think it would've been cool to use pencil/paper. Would've made me feel like a more true CPA.

[Anonymous]

What's right PENCIL & PAPER or PAPER & PENCIL?
LOL

[Anonymous]

What do you call people who could come up with the idea of imposing point markers and noteboards on the actual board exams?
SADISTS AND STUPID.

[Author]

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