# I'm really bummed.... (yes another pencil thread - sorry)



## ptatohed (Nov 1, 2011)

I know VTE already started a "pencil thread" (here) for this administration (Oct 2011) but my frustration needs its own thread to vent (plus, I am not able to simply answer the question: 'What color was your pencil'?).

Anyway, we were not given genuine NCEES pencils! No. We were given some lame yellow all-plastic PaperMate "Sharpwriter" pencil. :angry:

I saved my Green 'winning' NCEES pencil from Oct '10 when I passed the CA-Survey and I saved my Blue 'winning' NCEES pencil from Apr '11 when I passed the Fed 8-hour................ and here I am on my third installment (and hopefully the exam that actually gives me my PE), the CA-Seismic and I get a generic yellow twist pencil with one stinkin' piece of lead and no rubber grip? Lame!!!!

I'm not sure if they gave us these PaperMate pencils because we were only taking a state exam (although previous Survey and Seismic exams have provided NCEES pencils), or if it was my location (Pomona CA), or??

Anyone else experience this travesty?

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent guys.


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## bro (Nov 2, 2011)

We had red/white NCEES branded pencils (Mechanical PE)


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## DVINNY (Nov 2, 2011)

That is just wrong.

The pencil has become a 'right of passage'. this is a shame.


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## Dark Knight (Nov 2, 2011)

I still have my red NCEES pencil from when I passed the darn test. It is all messed and broken now but I cannot throw it away. Sentimental idiot am I.


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## R2KBA (Nov 2, 2011)

Darn you people! Now I have been sucked into this pencil obsession. I'm going to have to dig through the drawers at my parents house to see if I can find my old FE pencil. But I am not very optimistic that I will find it. At least I have my PE pencil.

Do you think I should mount it inside a frame with my PE certificate or should I keep it inside the fireproof safe for extra security? I could also ask my co-worker for his to mount with my certificate, and then keep the real one in the safe.


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## Dark Knight (Nov 2, 2011)

R2KBA said:


> Darn you people! Now I have been sucked into this pencil obsession. I'm going to have to dig through the drawers at my parents house to see if I can find my old FE pencil. But I am not very optimistic that I will find it. At least I have my PE pencil.
> 
> Do you think I should mount it inside a frame with my PE certificate or should I keep it inside the fireproof safe for extra security? I could also ask my co-worker for his to mount with my certificate, and then keep the real one in the safe.


You would not be the first one. Somebody here did it already.


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## goodal (Nov 2, 2011)

I have my blue FE pencil, my red PE pencil and the pencil I used from JH all the way through college. I went through dozens of pens and other pencils but was able to hang on to this one. The eraser holder (eraser long gone) is chewed to bits, the lead has to be pulled out manually and the end is superglued together. I considered framing it but my wife gave me the "your insane" look when I asked her to see about getting it done, so its just sitting in my junk drawer.


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## FF8256 (Nov 2, 2011)

well that sucks... a lame standard pencil...

good call on the decoy pencil... mine's just carelessly hanging out on by book shelf and will probably be stolen. I'll have to invest in either the fireproof safe or a security team.


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## DS58 (Nov 2, 2011)

I found a forest green NCEES pencil in my desk with no date. Maybe I could sell it on eBay to someone who needed it for their trophy case!


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## wilheldp_PE (Nov 2, 2011)

DS58 said:


> I found a forest green NCEES pencil in my desk with no date. Maybe I could sell it on eBay to someone who needed it for their trophy case!


I'd wager a guess that 99% of your target market for such a thing is on this forum.


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## DS58 (Nov 2, 2011)

wilheldp_PE said:


> DS58 said:
> 
> 
> > I found a forest green NCEES pencil in my desk with no date. Maybe I could sell it on eBay to someone who needed it for their trophy case!
> ...


Good point...

But now I have three colors because I found the green one and that's a collection, so... I may have to go dig thru some junk drawers around here


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Nov 2, 2011)

DVINNY said:


> That is just wrong.
> 
> The pencil has become a 'right of passage'.	this is a shame.


Seriously! Those pencils are badges of honor, or shame as the case may be.


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## envirotex (Nov 2, 2011)

Not to mention that fact that they usually cost around $1K and a serious amount time for personal relationships...


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## jco0518 (Nov 2, 2011)

in new york, they've asked us to leave the pencils on table, so i didn't take mine home with me....


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## BamaBino (Nov 2, 2011)

jco0518 said:


> in new york, they've asked us to leave the pencils on table, so i didn't take mine home with me....


Same in Birmingham AL. They said they might need them for FE people the next day.


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## NCcarguy (Nov 2, 2011)

They asked us to leave them in NC as well, which I did the first three times, but on that 4th attempt, I knew I hit a homer, it came home with me.


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## LORMAR (Nov 2, 2011)

Always take your pencil.


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## roadwreck (Nov 2, 2011)

When I took the PE they threatened to invalidate our exams if we took our pencil. I didn't think they'd really do it, but at the end of the day I wasn't going to risk it.

I still have my pencil from when I took the FE, although a co-worker did snap the clip off it years ago. It's a black lowercase one.


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## DS58 (Nov 2, 2011)

BamaBino said:


> Same in Birmingham AL. They said they might need them for FE people the next day.


ewww...this might not be sanitary. I would at least expect a pristine pencil at the FE since they forbid you bring your own.


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## Road Guy (Nov 2, 2011)

lol, one of the banner ads was for some type of pencil


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## snickerd3 (Nov 2, 2011)

Road Guy said:


> lol, one of the banner ads was for some type of pencil


I saw that too!


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## wow (Nov 2, 2011)

NCcarguy said:


> They asked us to leave them in NC as well, which I did the first three times, but on that 4th attempt, I knew I hit a homer, it came home with me.


I took it in Raleigh and don't remember them saying anything about leaving the pencils.


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## Jeffurry (Nov 2, 2011)

I even asked before the afternoon session if we could keep our pencils and my proctor said she would find out. I was so disappointed when they said we couldn't. I don't normally use mechanical pencils but I thought the one from the FE exam was terrific. Oh, well, I didn't get to keep the red to go with my blue from the FE of April 2010.


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## ptatohed (Nov 2, 2011)

You guys had me nearly rolling on the floor. LOL! Right of passage, R2 getting sucked into the 'pencil obsession', frames, fire-proof safes, e-bay, junk drawers, Super Glue, badges of honor, cost $1,000, etc., etc. LOL

Not sure if this counts as a happy ending or not but I was able to convince a co-worker into giving me his Red Oct '11 NCEES pencil (obtained from his 8-hour exam). I know it's not the one I used on the Seismic but, heck, I'm happy to have it.


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## DS58 (Nov 3, 2011)

Congratulations! Nice co-worker


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## thwlruss (Nov 3, 2011)

I found mine last night at the bottom of my reference bin and was really happy. I tucked it away in my pencil case and will retrieve it when my pass/fail letter arrives.


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## WV_Boiler (Nov 3, 2011)

Red/White. I am bummed I can't find my Black NCEES from my 2003 FE exam. I used to have 2 of them (I think I snagged my roommates), and had them for years, but I can't seem to locate it.


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## Ambrug20 (Nov 3, 2011)

I took the test at Memphis TN area. After the test proctors was going around and picked up every pencil left on the table. People was packing they stuff and many of them didn’t see how she was coming from the other side of the desk and picked pencil from they tables. Some of them turned head, but too late…pencil was gone and they didn’t want to argue it, probably. I packed earlier and had chance to keep my trophy. It was red and white this time. It is matching the color of my patience of studying. Because this is my 4th time and I am not going to give up yet!


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## golfeng (Nov 5, 2011)

So are you allowed to keep the pencil?

It seems like there are some mixed messages with most people saying they kept theirs and some saying they were told not to. I kept mine, but am a little worried that maybe I shouldn't have. We were told to leave the pencils on the table during lunch, but I didn't hear any instructions regarding pencils at the end of the afternoon session.


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## DS58 (Nov 5, 2011)

We were told at the lunch break to leave our pencils at our tables which made sense to me. No such announcement was made at the end so I took MY pencil. I do not think they should be reused for someone else the next day (yuck-I had a cold) and I don't think there was any such intention at my venue. I wouldn't worry about it.


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## ptatohed (Nov 6, 2011)

WV_Boiler said:


> Red/White. I am bummed I can't find my Black NCEES from my 2003 FE exam. I used to have 2 of them (I think I snagged my roommates), and had them for years, but I can't seem to locate it.



:wv: , are you serious? I've always envied those black pencils. I see the proctors with them during the PE exams and thought they were exclusively for the exam staff/proctors and not the examinees. A black one would round out my collection real nicely. :nod: I actually don't have an FE/EIT NCEES pencil. I've been a slacker and am now taking the PE after getting my EIT ~10 years ago. I believe when I took the FE, I was the very last administration to be able to use their own pencil (and my TI-89!!!).



golfeng said:


> So are you allowed to keep the pencil?
> 
> It seems like there are some mixed messages with most people saying they kept theirs and some saying they were told not to. I kept mine, but am a little worried that maybe I shouldn't have. We were told to leave the pencils on the table during lunch, but I didn't hear any instructions regarding pencils at the end of the afternoon session.


golf, I think it is typical that the examinee is allowed to keep his/her issued pencil. I think being asked to leave your pencil is the exception, not the norm (maybe in rare cases where they are short on pencils?). I looked at my NCEES Candidate Agreement and they are silent on the leaving or keeping of the pencil. My California specific examination instructions clearly state you can keep the pencil.

NCEES: "*Items Permitted on the Desktop *Examinees may have these items on the desktop during the exam: Exam Authorization, ID, answer sheet, exam booklet, approved reference material, NCEES-approved calculators, NCEES-issued pencils with erasers, small snacks, and two straightedges such as a ruler, scale, triangle, or protractor." 

California: "*MECHANICAL PENCILS *- Examinees must use Board issued mechanical pencils only. Examinees may NOT bring lead or erasers. If an additional pencil is needed during the exam, raise your hand and a proctor will issue an additional pencil. After the exam you may keep the mechanical pencils."


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## JMcG (Nov 16, 2011)

This was my third time taking the exam and the first time that they came around collecting the pencils. But only if you weren't fast enough to pack it away. They weren't asking people for their pencils but if they were sitting on the table, they were taking them. I now have green, blue and red. And I'm ok with only 3.....


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## ellebee2001 (Nov 17, 2011)

I still have my pencils from all the exams (FE and PEx2). I never heard anything about leaving the pencils. In fact, the proctor told me when I was leaving that it would be a nice momento. Also, I am definitely framing it when I found out I passed (hopefully).


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## Mempho (Dec 21, 2011)

After going through the H$%ll of applying for, studying for, paying for, and taking the exam - I want my pencil!


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