Managing time in exams
In a University exam or test, you should calculate exactly how much time to spend on each section to give yourself the best chance of success. It is easy to lose track of time but this could mean you miss out on important marks.
By sticking to specific time allocations in an exam you allow yourself the best chance of getting the most marks you can possibly get in each section.
Before you enter an exam you should calculate how many marks each section is and how much time you should spend on each section. This table is an example of what you can do:
This example is for a 3-hour exam marked out of 100 marks.
| Section | Mark allocation out of 100 | Time per section |
| Section A | 30 marks | 54 minutes |
| Section B | 25 marks | 45 minutes |
| Section C | 25 marks | 45 minutes |
| Section D | 20 marks | 36 minutes |
Exam time calculator
Here is an exam time calculator to see how much time you should spend on each section. Enter the length of the exam (min), the total marks and mark allocation for the question to calculate how long you should spend on it:
