Pacing Yourself
Many students lose points not because they lack knowledge, but because they over-invest in a single question, second-guess their logic, or freeze when facing similar-looking options.
Pacing provides a sense of control. When you are in control, you are less likely to panic, rush, or freeze. By mastering pacing, you stay grounded, maintain authority over your time, and keep your thinking steady. It is about managing your schedule, trusting your process, and preventing overthinking from taking over.
Learning to Time Yourself
A good place to start is learning to internalize the feeling of 60 seconds. Relying on the system test clock can be counterproductive, as checking it often breaks focus, adds pressure, and increases anxiety. By practicing how to allocate a specific amount of time per question, you build a natural awareness of time passing. This awareness provides the control necessary to prevent panicking, rushing, or freezing.
To build this skill, dedicate five minutes a day to a simple exercise using a stopwatch or a timer with an audible bell. Set the timer for 60 seconds, close your eyes, and start it. Focus entirely on sensing the passage of time and anticipating when the bell will sound. With consistent practice, your accuracy will improve significantly. Once you can reliably sense when a minute has elapsed, you have a portable skill for any exam. Maintain this awareness through occasional practice; like any technical skill, it requires regular reinforcement.
Doing the Math
To pace yourself effectively, you also need to know how much time you can afford to spend on each question. The math is simple: take the total number of minutes you have for the exam and divide it by the total number of questions. This gives you the average amount of time you can allocate per question.
An Example
Lets assume you have 60 questions and a 90 minute time limit.
Step 1
Total time ÷ total questions
That means, in theory, you’d have 1 minute and 30 seconds per question.
Step 2
We’re not going to use all of that time. We’re going to reserve about 20% so that if you get stuck on a question, you can skip it and come back later. This helps you keep your momentum and prevents the frustration or panic that can build when you stay stuck too long.
20% of 90 minutes:
That leaves:
Step 3
Recalculate your per quetion time.
Since we have reduced the question time by 20% we must recalculate how much time to allocate per question.
Divide the active time by the number of questions:
That’s 1 minute and 12 seconds.
Step 4
Round to the nearest minute.
Since you practiced using minute intervals, round your working time down to one minute per question. This becomes your pacing limit.
In our example, we’ll allocate one minute per question. Although one minute may not seem like much, it’s more than enough when you’re prepared for the test and have practiced your multiple‑choice strategies.