In this guide
Three hours for 75 questions works out to 2.4 minutes a question. That average is misleading. A well-prepared candidate can answer many chemistry questions in under a minute, while some maths problems honestly need five or six. The paper is a mix of quick wins, fair fights and traps, and the candidates who score best are those who spend their minutes on the first two.
Time strategy is not a trick you add in the last week. It is a set of decisions you practise in every mock until they become automatic.
Start with the numbers
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total time | 180 minutes |
| Questions | 75 (25 per subject: 20 MCQs + 5 numerical) |
| Average per question | 2.4 minutes |
| Marks | +4 right, −1 wrong, 0 unanswered |
A starting time plan
Use this as a first draft, then adjust it from your own mock data.
| Subject | Suggested time | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 45 minutes | Many questions are recall- or NCERT-based and quick |
| Physics | 60 minutes | Mix of quick formula questions and longer problems |
| Mathematics | 65 minutes | Longest calculations; most time-consuming on average |
| Review | 10 minutes | Marked questions and final checks |
| Total | 180 minutes |
If maths is your strongest subject, it may need less than this; if chemistry is your weakest, it may need more. The point is to set a budget for each subject and notice when you overspend.
Which subject first?
There is no single right order. What matters is that you pick one and practise it.
| Order | Advantage | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry → Physics → Maths | Quick start builds confidence and banks time | Maths, often the hardest, comes when you are tired |
| Strongest subject first | Calm start; high early marks | The weakest subject may get squeezed |
| Physics → Maths → Chemistry | Hardest thinking done while fresh | Chemistry recall can suffer if rushed at the end |
Try one order for three or four mocks, then another. Compare scores and, just as important, how you felt at the two-hour mark.
The three-round method
Going through the paper in rounds stops one hard question from eating the time for five easy ones.
- Round one — quick wins. Go through a subject and answer every question you can solve confidently in about two minutes. For anything longer, mark it for review and move on. Leave questions you cannot start at all.
- Round two — fair fights. Return to the marked questions. Now you can give them three to five minutes each, knowing the easy marks are already banked.
- Round three — decisions. In the review time, look at remaining MCQs where you can rule out at least one option, and decide whether to attempt them.
Some candidates run rounds one and two subject by subject; others do round one across all three subjects first. Test both.
When to skip
A good rule: if no clear approach appears within about a minute, mark and move on. "Clear approach" means you know the first two steps, not that you have a vague feeling about the chapter.
Here is why it matters. Suppose you spend 8 minutes forcing one hard maths question and get it right: +4. In the same 8 minutes you could have answered three or four quick questions you knew, worth +12 to +16. Even a correct answer on a stuck question can be a bad trade.
Should you guess?
With +4 and −1, the average gain from attempting an MCQ is (chance right × 4) − (chance wrong × 1). It breaks even when your chance of being right is 1 in 5.
| Situation | Chance right | Average gain |
|---|---|---|
| All four options possible | 1 in 4 | +0.25 |
| One option ruled out | 1 in 3 | +0.67 |
| Two options ruled out | 1 in 2 | +1.5 |
| Numerical question with no method | close to 0 | close to −1 |
So in Section A, an attempt after genuine elimination is worth it on average. A completely blind MCQ guess has a tiny positive average but adds a lot of randomness; many candidates prefer to spend that time checking answers instead. In Section B, attempt only when you have worked the answer out. Our guide to numerical value questions covers them in detail.
A worked timeline
Here is how one aspirant's plan might look for a paper taken chemistry first. (A hypothetical example.)
| Minutes | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0–35 | Chemistry round one: 19 answered, 4 marked, 2 left |
| 35–45 | Chemistry round two: 3 of the 4 marked questions solved |
| 45–90 | Physics round one: 16 answered, 7 marked |
| 90–105 | Physics round two: 4 more solved |
| 105–150 | Maths round one: 13 answered, 8 marked |
| 150–170 | Maths round two: 4 more solved |
| 170–180 | Review: elimination decisions on remaining MCQs; check that each numerical answer is entered in the right format |
Totals: chemistry 22, physics 20, maths 17 — 59 attempted with 10 minutes held back for review. Whether that is a good attempt count depends on accuracy, which only your mock data can tell you.
The last 15 minutes
- Stop starting long problems.
- Scan the question palette for anything marked for review without an answer saved.
- Re-check numerical entries — units, decimals, the quantity asked.
- Make your elimination-based MCQ decisions calmly, one at a time.
Practise it before the exam
- Timed sectional drills. Twenty-five questions of one subject in 50–60 minutes, twice a week.
- The one-minute rule. In a practice set, force yourself to mark and move after a minute without a start.
- A time log in every mock. Note the time when you switch subjects. Compare it with your plan during analysis — see mock tests and analysis.
What to do next
- Write your starting time budget on a card: minutes per subject plus review.
- Choose one subject order and use it for your next three mocks.
- Use A/B/C labels in round one of your next mock.
- After each mock, compare where your minutes went with your budget.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the National Testing Agency website .
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