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I've been getting a lot of questions about timing lately, so I wrote a blog post about it, also copied below:
Students often ask me about my approach to timing on the MCAT, so I wanted to share some brief thoughts on the subject. First, I'll discuss the actual timing strategy that I used on test day and that I practiced on my full length practice tests, and then I'll discuss timing in the context of day-to-day practice (i.e. not full length tests or section-length equivalents).
Timing on Full Length Practice Tests and the Real MCAT
First, just the facts: For the three science sections (Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior) there are 95 minutes for 59 questions, presented as 10 passages and 15 discrete questions. For Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS), there are 90 minutes for 53 questions, presented as 9 passages.
The amount of time required to complete a given passage and its accompanying questions can vary quite a bit, depending on the length and difficulty of the passage, the number of questions, and the difficulty of the questions. For this reason, I do not recommend trying to track the amount of time spent on individual questions and/or passages. Thinking about timing on a per-question or per-passage basis is not an effective use of your limited time and energy, and it also doesn't take into account the natural ebb and flow of the test. Instead, I recommend taking a more global approach to timing on the MCAT.
For the science sections, I tried not to focus too much on the clock until the 30-minute mark, at which point my goal was to be finished with 20 questions, or at least close. If I was dramatically behind (say, only done with 10 questions after 30 minutes), I knew I needed to pick up the pace, and I tried to work faster through the subsequent passages and questions. Then, at 60 minutes, my goal was to be finished with 40 questions, putting me roughly on pace to complete all 59 questions in 90 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes as a buffer (I usually finished with only 2-3 minutes left on the clock).
I had a sense of the clock throughout the entire test, but I tried not to worry about making adjustments to my pace until those 30- and 60-minute benchmarks. Depending on how well your internal sense of timing is progressing, you could take this approach even further, only checking in at the 45 minute mark to see if the section is approximately half complete.
For CARS, my approach was similar. I aimed to be done with three passages (and their accompanying questions) after 30 minutes, six passages after 60, and to finish the section in 90 minutes.
This approach allowed me to focus most of my resources on the passages and questions at hand, which I knew would vary in length and difficulty, rather than focus on the cruel, incessant, unforgiving clock.
Timing on Day-to-Day Passages
In general, I did not worry about timing when practicing passages on a day-to-day basis. I knew that I would have many opportunities to practice my timing while taking full length tests and section-length equivalents (like the AAMC CARS Question Packs), so I didn't worry too much about it while going through my everyday passages (like The Berkeley Review's end of chapter passages). Even on the Examkracker's 30-Minute Exams, I set a timer, but I didn't worry if I didn't finish in 30 minutes. (I almost never finished those on time; it usually took me 35-40 minutes). Instead, I focused on understanding the passages and the questions without pushing myself to rush, while also trying not to spend unnecessary time or obsess over details.
Students often ask me about my approach to timing on the MCAT, so I wanted to share some brief thoughts on the subject. First, I'll discuss the actual timing strategy that I used on test day and that I practiced on my full length practice tests, and then I'll discuss timing in the context of day-to-day practice (i.e. not full length tests or section-length equivalents).
Timing on Full Length Practice Tests and the Real MCAT
First, just the facts: For the three science sections (Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems; Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems; and Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior) there are 95 minutes for 59 questions, presented as 10 passages and 15 discrete questions. For Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS), there are 90 minutes for 53 questions, presented as 9 passages.
The amount of time required to complete a given passage and its accompanying questions can vary quite a bit, depending on the length and difficulty of the passage, the number of questions, and the difficulty of the questions. For this reason, I do not recommend trying to track the amount of time spent on individual questions and/or passages. Thinking about timing on a per-question or per-passage basis is not an effective use of your limited time and energy, and it also doesn't take into account the natural ebb and flow of the test. Instead, I recommend taking a more global approach to timing on the MCAT.
For the science sections, I tried not to focus too much on the clock until the 30-minute mark, at which point my goal was to be finished with 20 questions, or at least close. If I was dramatically behind (say, only done with 10 questions after 30 minutes), I knew I needed to pick up the pace, and I tried to work faster through the subsequent passages and questions. Then, at 60 minutes, my goal was to be finished with 40 questions, putting me roughly on pace to complete all 59 questions in 90 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes as a buffer (I usually finished with only 2-3 minutes left on the clock).
I had a sense of the clock throughout the entire test, but I tried not to worry about making adjustments to my pace until those 30- and 60-minute benchmarks. Depending on how well your internal sense of timing is progressing, you could take this approach even further, only checking in at the 45 minute mark to see if the section is approximately half complete.
For CARS, my approach was similar. I aimed to be done with three passages (and their accompanying questions) after 30 minutes, six passages after 60, and to finish the section in 90 minutes.
This approach allowed me to focus most of my resources on the passages and questions at hand, which I knew would vary in length and difficulty, rather than focus on the cruel, incessant, unforgiving clock.
Timing on Day-to-Day Passages
In general, I did not worry about timing when practicing passages on a day-to-day basis. I knew that I would have many opportunities to practice my timing while taking full length tests and section-length equivalents (like the AAMC CARS Question Packs), so I didn't worry too much about it while going through my everyday passages (like The Berkeley Review's end of chapter passages). Even on the Examkracker's 30-Minute Exams, I set a timer, but I didn't worry if I didn't finish in 30 minutes. (I almost never finished those on time; it usually took me 35-40 minutes). Instead, I focused on understanding the passages and the questions without pushing myself to rush, while also trying not to spend unnecessary time or obsess over details.
