Overview
The classic benchmark of twenty questions in thirty-five minutes gives 105 seconds per question. In practice sessions, aim instead for 90 seconds on ordinary questions to build up a reserve. The competition notice remains the decisive source.
Turning the clock into checkpoints
A single overall clock creates anxiety. Checkpoints create decisions. For a 35-minute format, use this table as your training pace:
| Stage | Target time remaining | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Question 5 completed | 27 min 30 | Healthy pace |
| Question 10 completed | 20 min | Buffer intact |
| Question 15 completed | 12 min 30 | Final block under control |
| Question 20 completed | 5 min | Targeted review possible |
These benchmarks do not require you to handle every question in exactly 90 seconds. A simple question may take 50 seconds and pay for a complex one lasting 130 seconds.
Budget for an ordinary question
- •10 seconds: read the instruction and spot its polarity;
- •15 seconds: identify subject, scope and structure;
- •50 seconds: test the options against the passage;
- •15 seconds: check every element of the option you chose.
Exit rule
At 135–150 seconds with no clean evidence, mark a provisional answer, flag the question if the interface allows it, then move on. One question must not eat the time of three answerable ones.
Threshold or ranking
Strategy depends on the competition. If verbal is a threshold, aim first for a stable safety margin. If it feeds into the ranking, speed and completion pay off more. In both cases, the clock never justifies dropping the evidence; it only imposes an exit rule.
One-minute exercise
Take ten questions. Assign each a maximum time before you start. After the set, sort the overruns: reading too slowly, an option reread, an unknown word, hesitation between two answers, or no exit rule at all.