Time management for 150-question and 120-question exams: pacing targets and a flagging system

Check the format first

The numbers here use planning formats: 150 questions in three hours for DHA-style mocks, which matches DHA's guideline for a Registered Nurse and General Practice, and 120 questions in three hours for EMREE. DHA says its three hours include registration and the introduction, so your answering time is shorter. The real number of questions and time allowed differ by title and can change, so check your official candidate information. If your exam is different, redo the arithmetic below with your own numbers.

The arithmetic

Three hours is 180 minutes. For 150 questions, that is 1.2 minutes, or 72 seconds, per question. For 120 questions, it is 1.5 minutes, or 90 seconds. These are averages. Short recall questions take 30 seconds, long scenario questions take two minutes, and the average hides that spread.

If you want a 15 to 20 minute buffer for review, subtract it first. For 150 questions, 160 minutes gives about 64 seconds each. For 120 questions, 160 minutes gives 80 seconds each.

Checkpoints

Checkpoints turn a vague pace into something you can check at a glance. Write them on your rough paper if the centre provides it, or hold them in memory.

• 150 questions: about 25 questions every 30 minutes, so question 75 at 90 minutes, and all 150 by about 160 minutes.
• 120 questions: about 20 questions every 30 minutes, so question 60 at 90 minutes, and all 120 by about 160 minutes.
• If you are 10 questions behind at the halfway mark, speed up by 5 seconds per question rather than panic.

A flagging rule

Set a rule before the exam: if a question stalls you after about a minute and a half, eliminate what you can, choose your best option, flag it and move on. The aim is to avoid the single hard question that eats five minutes and costs you the easy ones at the end. Review flagged items in the buffer. Change an answer only if you can state a reason, not because of general doubt.

Reading faster without skipping

Time is saved at the reading stage more than at the thinking stage. Read the last line of the stem first, so you know what is asked, then read the stem for the details, then the options. Watch for words such as first, best, most appropriate and not. The single best answer guide covers the technique in more detail.

Practise the pacing

Pacing is a skill and it improves with rehearsal. Do timed sets of 25 questions in 30 minutes (for the 150 question format) or 20 in 30 minutes (for 120), and check your checkpoints. Then take full mocks as in the test series. In the mock analysis, record your time for each block to see where you drift.

Why people drift and how to catch it

Most drift happens early. The first questions feel important, you read slowly and check twice, and thirty minutes pass before you notice. Set an alarm in your head: at question 10 you should be at about twelve minutes for the 150-question format. A glance at the clock every ten questions is enough. If you are behind, speed up the easy ones, not the hard ones, since easy items can be answered in 30 seconds without loss.

Drift can also come late, when fatigue slows reading. Keep your checkpoints in mind throughout and take a slow breath at each one.

Question types and time

Recall questions take little time: you either know it or not, so answer and move on. Calculation questions take longer, so decide quickly whether you can do it in two minutes and flag it if not. Long scenario questions take the most reading time, and the answer often turns on a single detail. For these, read the last line first, then the stem, underlining the key facts mentally. Applying this triage means your average time stays on track even when individual items vary.

A worked pacing plan for 150 questions

A concrete plan for a 180-minute exam with 150 questions. Aim to finish the first pass by minute 160. Checkpoints: question 25 by minute 27, question 50 by minute 53, question 75 by minute 80, question 100 by minute 107, question 125 by minute 133 and question 150 by minute 160. That leaves 20 minutes for flagged items. These numbers are slightly slower than 72 seconds per question to allow for a few hard items, and they are easy to remember as roughly 26 minutes per 25 questions. Write them on your rough paper at the start if the centre allows it.

For 120 questions, use roughly 33 minutes per 25 questions, or 26 minutes per 20: question 20 by minute 27, 40 by minute 53, 60 by minute 80, 80 by minute 107, 100 by minute 133 and 120 by minute 160. Adjust to your own speed after you have done a few timed sets.

When the clock makes you anxious

Some people freeze when they see the timer. If that is you, hide the clock for part of your practice sets and check it only at checkpoints, to build the habit of working at a steady pace without staring at the time. In the exam, glance only at the checkpoints and at the 20-minute warning. If you notice your breathing quicken, pause for one slow breath. A few seconds spent calming down is cheaper than a rushed series of mistakes. See managing exam anxiety for further methods.

What to do in the review period

Start with flagged questions where you narrowed to two options, since these give the best return. Re-read the stem for words you may have skipped, such as “except” or “most likely”. Next take the questions you answered quickly with low confidence. Last, use any time left on guesses. Avoid reopening questions you were sure about unless you noticed a specific reason. Small edits made for good reasons help, and edits made from nerves tend not to.

Training with timed sets

Use three kinds of timed practice. Short sets of 25 questions in 30 minutes train your checkpoint habit. Medium sets of 50 questions in 60 minutes train endurance. Full mocks train stamina and the review period. Build up over weeks, starting with short sets, and keep the same flagging rule throughout, so that it becomes automatic. After each set, record your time at each checkpoint and note the slowest stretch, which is where you drift.

Writing your plan down

Put your pacing plan on one line in your notes: the checkpoints, the flagging rule and the review period. Read it in the last hour before the exam, and again when you sit down. A plan you have written and rehearsed is far easier to follow when your nerves are active than one you are trying to remember.

The last 20 minutes

With 20 minutes left, make sure every question has an answer, because a blank is a certain miss. Then go back to flagged items from the lowest-confidence group. Use any remaining minutes to re-read stems for words you may have missed, such as “not”. Stay calm and keep the clock in view. If you finish early, use the time. Nobody ever lost marks by checking carefully.

Frequently asked questions