Which Pen To Use In Exams? Reviews & Recommendations

@thebigk • Oct 27, 2024

Oct 27, 2024

3.6K

Let's face it - the most important tool you have while writing your college/university exams is your pen. Let's all post your experiences with the brand of Pen you used for exams.

Let's base our reviews on the following points -

Brand Name: < Type The Brand Name, Model Name Of Your Pen >

1. Type: Ink Pen, Ball Pen, Gel Pen? - Why?

2. Grip: Is it comfortable? Does it hurt after writing for 2-3 hours?

3. Life: How long does the ink/gel last?

4. Ease Of Writing: Though it's a completely personal choice, I think your juniors can benefit from your experience.

5. Recommendations: Would you recommend it to others? Why?

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Anil Jain

@CrazyBoy • Oct 26, 2010

Traditional white and blue cap Reynolds ball pen was my favourite.

Reynolds Jetter was also good one, However only reason I used to give earlier a preference over jetter was, In jetter you never know when ink will get over.

Ink for that pen will last for around 300 pages (for decent sized handwriting)

-CB
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Ankita Katdare

@abrakadabra • Oct 26, 2010

God! I just returned from a theory examination. My pen's ink ended in the middle of the paper. I was lucky enough because the invigilator had an extra pen and she gave it to me immediately.

And here I find this thread. Thanks Biggie. 😀

Please suggest some good pens people!
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whiz.kid.aniket

@whizkidaniket-5IiBCq • Oct 26, 2010

I m using Black ink add gel pens since 5th grade!

And during exams i carry 3-4 pens with me!;-)
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CIVILPRINCESS

@civilprincess-308hDv • Oct 26, 2010

for me my faithful hero pen which i've been using since my boards is the best and lucky too 😉.

Brand Name: hero

1. Type: Ink Pen(blue)

2. Grip: it is comfortable provided you don't sweat while taking your exam 😉 it has a plastic smooth cover and so doesn't hurt your hand.

3. Life: mostly it will last for the whole exam. but i always carry a spare too.

4. Ease Of Writing: i feel my hand writing is legible only when i write in the ink pen 😀

5. Recommendations: doesn't blotch ans smudge like the other ink pens and gives thin strokes only.

for the black i use any ball point.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Oct 27, 2010

Nice feedack folks! Looking forward to more. I personally use the Raynold's TriMax only because I like its grip and long lasting gel. It's a different story that I don't use pens quite as often as I used to. It's been years since I graduated 😉
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Saandeep Sreerambatla

@saandeep-sreerambatla-hWHU1M • Oct 27, 2010

I used Montex High grip blue and black! I prefer black ball point pens!

Type: Ink Pen(Black)

2. Grip: It has a very good grip , It suits my writing speed. I write very fast.

3. Life: I just carry one blue and one black , there is only one occasion where I have to write with both blue and black.

4. Ease Of Writing: I want a pen a bit lighter in weight , I can't write well for hours with Pierre Cardin pens.

5. Recommendations: 😀
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raj87verma88

@raj87verma88-ZpL2Wn • Oct 27, 2010

I can use any pen. But personally I prefer fountain pens by Sheaffer, Parker and Lamy. One day I wish to write with a Montblanc.

Grip is quite comfortable
Life: A full ink can write for a very long time. And you also get a cartridge case to carry upto 7
Ease: Fountain pens and especially the ones I have named are the smoothest in the world. They literally flow over the sheet of paper.
Recommendation: Highly. Smudge and thickness of line depends on the pressure you apply to the nib. A fountain pen can be customised to suit your writing style.
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Pensu

@pensu-8tNeGU • Oct 28, 2010

I generally prefer cello fine grip. Its ink last long, it has a good grip and it gives smooth writing. For gel pens i go with any ADD GEL.
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optimystix

@optimystix-4yMPKC • Nov 7, 2010

AbraKaDabra
God! I just returned from a theory examination. My pen's ink ended in the middle of the paper. I was lucky enough because the invigilator had an extra pen and she gave it to me immediately.

And here I find this thread. Thanks Biggie. 😀

Please suggest some good pens people!
that's a risky business carrying only one pen for exam. I usually carry 7-8 in my pouch(literally 😛) after the incident during my Biology paper of my 10th boards. I used up 5 pens, all of which stopped writing for some reason or the other(either ink got over or i dropped the pen and broke their nibs). I lost precious last few minutes 'cos of them.

Till my 12th I used fountain pens (also known as China pen or Hero pen). They are smooth to wite, one barrel of ink is long lasting and they are the most cost effective means of writing with a pen. 1 pen =approx INR 35 + 1 ink bottle INR 10 (dunno current price).

One disadvantage of that pen is that their body is smooth and does not provide grip. Writing with these pen can be cumbersome if your palms perspire a lot.

Among other pens - Reynolds jetter, Montex Pinpoint, Cello gripper, Add gel Cat etc are good for writing. These are more ergonomically suited for writing work according to me. Of course the style and choice depends from person to person 😀
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Ankita Katdare

@abrakadabra • Jul 22, 2015

I recently took my next Japanese level exam and found myself admiring the fact that they make us use dark HB pencils to mark the answers instead of ball/ink pens. I guess most exams conducted in multiple choice fashion let you use dark pencils to fill circle of the correct answer.

After all these years, I think the discussion above is really useful. One that deserves more responses than what it got back then.

Personally, I hate those pens which blotch the ink at the end of letters. (Happens often when students have the habit of pressing the pen too hard on the sheet. Sometimes you can see the impressions till next 2-3 pages)

In recent times, two pens that I have ranked higher than others are:

1. Reynold Trimax
2. Cello Butterflow

It's smooth to write with them. The grip on both pens is really good.

I think in Indian schools and colleges, the lengthy theory paper exams are not going to be eliminated anytime soon. With students made to write continuously for 3-long hours (and sometimes even those 3 are not enough), having a comfortable writing position and posture + a really good pen go a long way. Nothing turns a mood off when you are writing an answer and the pen just won't work smoothly or your hand starts aching midway.

If you have more suggestions/opinions on this, do write them in replies below.
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Harshad Italiya

@harshad-ukH5ww • Jul 22, 2015

I used 2 Rupees unbranded pen during all my Engineering days. 😉
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Abhishek Rawal

@abhishek-fg9tRh • Jul 23, 2015

Harshad Italiya
I used 2 Rupees unbranded pen during all my Engineering days. 😉
Saino silk. Same here, bhai. 😁
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Abhash dhyani

@abhash-dhyani-eReqi4 • Jul 23, 2015

What i think is that reynolds trimex is the best pen for writing exam as it is smooth with a good grip and long lasting ink... Always carry one extra pen with u during the exam to be on safer side
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Jul 23, 2015

The Trimax has been my favorite pen for several years now. I don't 'write' that frequently these days ( except my to do lists and signatures on documents), but Trimax seems to be doing pretty good. I'm wondering how many of you use black ink and how many of you prefer blue?
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Aashish Joshi

@aashish-VrevFC • Jul 23, 2015

My all time fav Parker pen 😀

Type: Ink

Grip: The ones i have used have a metal grip, but it is comfy. I've written many exams with it but never faced any problems.

Life: If you remember to refill it before an exam you have nothing to worry about.

Out of all the pens I've written with Parker's ink pens remain my favourite. It feels smoother than running a hot knife through butter! 😁

However I would recommend using Parker's ink only (Quink i think it was called back in the day). Other cheap inks may cause clots and splotches!!
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Harshad Italiya

@harshad-ukH5ww • Jul 23, 2015

Abhishek Rawal
Saino silk. Same here, bhai. 😁
Then it is no more unbranded !
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Harshad Italiya

@harshad-ukH5ww • Jul 23, 2015

Kaustubh Katdare
The Trimax has been my favorite pen for several years now. I don't 'write' that frequently these days ( except my to do lists and signatures on documents), but Trimax seems to be doing pretty good. I'm wondering how many of you use black ink and how many of you prefer blue?
After joining Energy Cloud Technology I am using Black Ink in most cases ! Hardly Blue !
Yeah used only Red when written marriage invitation card 😉
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magesh1994

@magesh1994-Gc6vdl • Dec 3, 2015

hi guys
for writting university examinations i used to write only in trimax pen the gel with help me to hide my hand writing it will display the letters in clarity manner with out hesitating the examinar who evaluate the paper i recommended you to use basically a gel pen to write the exams
regards
vignesh
consultant
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Debasmita Banerjee

@debasmita-9A90wv • Dec 3, 2015

I use Blue Linc Siren ball pen regularly. In exam time there's no exception as such.
Well after trying many different pens in different times I fixed my mind with this product as it's very soft and comfortable to hold tight and write. After 3 hours of rigorous pressure in exam time I never felt stiffness with this pen. It has a black soft cushion cover over the body of the pen which makes it very easy and convenient to grip it. recommendation? I trust this one for my works,so definitely I will recommend this to all.
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T N S SAI SRINIVAS

@t-n-s-sai-srinivas-7TixFy • Dec 3, 2015

I prefer that 3 rupees blue pen , very fast and helps in neat handwriting,as i am not good at writing neatly .The diameter of the pen is less, so it enables me to effectively hold and write neatly for long time. 😀
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Dec 3, 2015

I personally think that in the next 5-10 years; with the 'Digital India' campaign making rounds; we'd soon make writing pens a thing of a past. Expect kids to carry around tablets and stylus as pen in their bags. That said, I'm going off-topic 😉

I still continue to use the Trimax pen from Raynolds. The ink lasts forever - and my writing is limited to about 5 minutes overall in entire day. I don't remember when I bought the refill last time. The grip is solid if you do not have sweaty hands. Else you'd want to use a pen that has a rubber or plastic grip.

One thing I'd like to recommend from my own experience is that the fountain pens could lead to the ink burst on the paper if the quality of the paper ain't good. Happened with me and I switched to ballpens ever since. This was the pre-gel pen era (about a decade ago). Gel pens have been faithful but as you'd see, I don't use them much these days.
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Ankita Katdare

@abrakadabra • Feb 1, 2016

It's only a matter of time before pens and handwriting goes obsolete. Today, it's the era of beautiful looking typefaces. It is the age of Verdana, Calibri, Times New Roman, Open Sans and Montserrat. I don't remember the last time I used a pen for anything other than signing a document (that too rare with a digital copy handy at my desktop) or taking notes when someone is talking (at a meeting or conference) - That too only because I'm old school. I know kids younger than me use some note-taking app on their smartphones instead of going for the same old pen & notepad.

I was just thinking about that when I was reminded of this discussion on CrazyEngineers. Pens were synonymous to Theory exams and every time there was an exam I'd run to the store to get myself my favourite one (Sorry, that's not true. I'd pick a new one every single time.)

How long do you think it will take before students at large never have to write down anything on their exams?

It's mostly MCQs these days anyway, it's only time when they replace desk-based exams to desktop-based exams. It only feels obvious to replace pen & paper with computerised exams. Or do you think otherwise?
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Max2281

@max2281-QjZ90c • Dec 5, 2016

Dear Sir/Mam
Since you have changed your product (cello maxriter) the quality has been severely compromised. Not a single pen I have found which satisfied me in terms of writing experience, I have dozens with me which had stopped writing in mid. Or the quality is very poor that it can not be used. Since 10 years I am using your product and also promoted you in between my friends, but now it's becoming very disappointing. I think you have stopped manufacturing good quality of pen as you use to make earlier like old version of Cello Maxriter, I am confused what to do with those not working pens.
Please suggest any solution.
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Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Dec 5, 2016

I think Reynolds Trimax still goes strong. Continues to be my pen of choice.
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