Exam Time per Question Calculator
Split exam time across questions and marks: minutes per question and per mark, extra time for access arrangements, separate reading time, a review buffer, section budgets, a checkpoint schedule with clock times and a mid-exam pace check.
How it works
Total time = duration × (1 + extra time %) · Working time = total × (1 − review %) · Time per question = working time ÷ questions · Time per mark = working time ÷ total marks · Section budget = working time × section marks ÷ total marks
Allocating time by marks rather than by question stops you spending ten minutes on a two-mark item. Start from the exam length, add any extra time you are entitled to (25% is the usual access arrangement), and keep 5–10% back for reading instructions and checking answers. What is left is your working time: divide it by the number of questions for a per-question pace, or by the marks for a per-mark budget that works even when questions are worth different amounts. If the paper has sections, list them and each gets a time slot in proportion to its marks. With a start time, the checkpoint table gives the clock time at which you should reach each quarter (or tenth, or every question) — write those times on the paper. During a practice paper, enter how many questions you have finished and how many minutes have gone, and the pace check tells you whether you are ahead or behind and how long each remaining question can take.
Worked example
180 min, 90 questions, 300 marks, 10% review: 162 working minutes → 1.8 min per question, 0.54 min per mark. Starting at 09:00 you should reach Q23 at about 09:41, Q45 at 10:21 and Q68 at 11:02, and start checking at 11:42. With 25% extra time the exam is 225 minutes: 202.5 working minutes, or 2.25 min per question.
Frequently asked questions
Should I time by question or by mark?
By mark whenever questions are worth different amounts. A 10-mark question deserves ten times the time of a 1-mark one; the per-question figure only works when every question carries the same marks.
How does extra time change my pace?
Extra time stretches the whole exam, so every budget grows by the same percentage. With 25% extra time, a 1.8-minute question becomes 2.25 minutes.
How do I split time between sections?
Give each section a share of the working time equal to its share of the marks. Type the sections under More options (name, questions, marks) and the calculator lays out each section’s budget and clock times.
Should I attempt in order?
Many students do the questions they are surest of first, then return. Whatever the order, stick to the per-mark budget.
What if I am behind at a checkpoint?
Move on — later questions carry the same marks and a blank is worth nothing. The pace check shows how much time each remaining question can have.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.