How to Manage Time in Cambridge (CIE) Exams

The simplest way to manage time in a Cambridge exam is to turn the paper into minutes per mark. Divide the duration by the total marks, then spend roughly that many minutes for each mark a question is worth. Keep a small buffer at the end for checking. The rest of this post shows how to do it, what to do when you are stuck, and how to practise.

Read the numbers from your own paper

Papers differ in length and marks, even within one subject, so do not borrow someone else's figures. For the paper you are about to sit, read two numbers from the front page of a past paper in that component, or from your syllabus:

• the duration
• the total marks

Do not rely on a number you heard at school or saw on a forum. If your syllabus and a past paper disagree, trust the syllabus and ask your teacher.

The marks-to-minutes method

Here is the arithmetic with clearly made-up round numbers. Imagine a paper that lasts 90 minutes and has 60 marks. These are not the figures for any real paper.

1. Keep 10 minutes aside for checking. That leaves 80 minutes.
2. Divide: 80 \div 60 = 1.33 minutes per mark, or about 1 minute 20 seconds.
3. A 3 mark question gets about 4 minutes. A 6 mark question gets about 8 minutes.
4. Write the running targets in the margin. If question 5 should end at the 35 minute mark, you will see at once whether you are ahead or behind.

Check it: 60 marks at 1.33 minutes is 80 minutes, plus 10 minutes for checking is 90. It adds up.

Marks are a guide, not a law. A 2 mark calculation can take longer than a 2 mark recall question. Use the figure as a pace check, not a stopwatch you must obey on every line.

Reading time

Some papers may allow reading time before you begin writing, and some may not. Rules can differ by paper and by exam centre, so do not assume. Ask your exam centre or teacher what applies to you, and check the instructions on the front of the paper. If you do get reading time, use it to scan the whole paper and spot where the long, high mark questions sit. Do not use it to write.

Pacing by type of paper

Multiple choice

You are working with a short time per question, so the pace is quick. Do the ones you know at once, mark the unsure ones on the paper and come back. Check the instructions on your paper about wrong answers, and unless it says otherwise, do not leave an answer blank. Do not spend several minutes on a single item at the start and then rush the last ten.

Structured questions

Mark totals are printed in brackets, so use them. Long, many-part questions often start easy and get harder, so do not let an early part eat time meant for later ones. Because parts usually build on each other, an early answer may be reused later, so write it down even if you are not sure.

Extended answers and essays

These need a plan. Spend a couple of minutes on a brief outline: key points, in order. Then write, and watch the clock against your target for that question. Essays punish students who write an excellent first half and a missing second half. A complete, balanced answer usually earns more than one half-perfect section.

When you are stuck

Staying stuck is the most expensive habit in an exam.

• Write down anything relevant: a formula, a definition, a first step. Partial credit often comes from method, not only the final answer.
• Circle or star the question number and move on.
• Set yourself a limit. If you have used about double your target time with no progress, leave it.
• Come back with fresh eyes at the end. A different question may have reminded you of what you need.

Practising with a clock

Timing is a skill you build before the exam, not on the day.

1. Choose a past paper and read its duration and total marks.
2. Work out your marks-to-minutes figure and write checkpoints in the margin.
3. Sit it closed-book, in one go, with the clock running.
4. Afterwards, mark it and note which questions put you behind, not only where you lost marks.

If you finish early with many marks lost, you are going too fast. If you finish with several questions blank, your pace or your choice of what to do first needs changing. The review habits in how to revise with Cambridge past papers apply here too, especially the error log.

The last five minutes

Use the final few minutes on a checklist, not a re-read of everything:

• Is every question attempted, even with just a start?
• Are your answers in the right place, and are question numbers clear for any extra pages?
• Have you given units and the correct number of significant figures where asked?
• Did you answer the command word, for example describe or explain? Command words tell you what the examiner wants.
• Do a quick sanity check on any calculation that gave an odd result.

What not to do

• Do not spend ten minutes on a 2 mark question.
• Do not leave blanks if you can write something sensible.
• Do not rewrite a whole answer neatly when it is already readable.
• Do not start with the hardest question just because it is first.
• Do not check your pace after every line. Check at set points.
• Do not change your method on the day. Use what you practised.

Try it on a real paper

Pick a paper from your syllabus in the past papers hub, for example IGCSE Mathematics or A Level Chemistry. Work out your marks-to-minutes figure from its front page, set your own clock, write your answers by hand and have them marked against the official mark scheme. Reading and downloading papers is free, and a free account adds AI marking.

ExamPal does not enforce official timings, so the clock is yours to set. Exam mode in topical sets also gives you a clock and a results page.