Chapter 3 of 66 min
Timing under pressure
Running out of time costs more marks than not knowing. A time plan and the discipline to move on protect your score.
Key ideas
- Know your minutes per mark before the exam.
- Skipping and returning beats getting stuck.
- Practise under timed conditions every week.
Step by step
- 1
Calculate minutes per mark or per question.
- 2
Set checkpoints, such as halfway by the midpoint of the time.
- 3
Mark and skip any question taking more than one and a half times its share.
- 4
Reserve time at the end to review flagged questions.
Example
In a three-hour paper with 180 marks, a candidate allows one minute per mark and a ten-minute review buffer. She finishes every question for the first time.
Your drill
Sit a timed half-paper using checkpoints and record where you fell behind.
Common mistakes
- Spending too long on early questions.
- Practising only untimed.
Check yourself
When should you skip a question?
Show the answer
When it takes noticeably longer than its time share; mark it and return later.
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