It has always been the industry standard, set by makers of the optical scanners used to read answer sheets, that only No . 2 pencils be used to mark responses on the answer sheets . This ensures proper reading of the response ovals during the scoring process . Like other testing programs, E T S requires TOEIC test takers to use only No . 2 pencils to fill in the answer sheets . Other writing instruments, such as pens, are not permitted, as they can make the answers bleed over or stain the answer sheets in a way.
