A big challenge for students on the SAT is finishing each section within the time limit. Maintaining the right pace is essential, so students benefit tremendously from tips and tricks to manage time and pacing.

Why is all this so important? 

In our blog, 24-Hour Countdown: Everything You Need Before Test Day, we advised that you bring a watch without an audible alarm to your exam. Remember: If you have anything that beeps during the test, your test is automatically canceled, and it’s taken away from you! So tip #1 – don’t bring anything that could beep.

The test rooms are supposed to have a clock, but you never know if it’s going to work or if it’s going to be in an awkward location where you have to turn around to look at it. Tip #2 – wear a watch (back to tip #1 – a silent watch will do the trick). And, having chosen your watch, practice with it in advance so you know how to pace yourself.

Next, you need to know our two time-tested tricks to make pacing simple. These tricks are designed to avoid the additional anxiety for students starting a section at 11:17 and trying to add 35 minutes to that to then keep track of an ending time of 11:52. All of that just adds extra stress that we’re trying to eliminate with these tricks, which are based on the fact that the actual time of day isn’t important. What’s important is just how much time you have left for each section.

Please try each trick when you take practice tests to see which you prefer.

TRICK 1: Start at noon (preferred by most students)

Before each section begins, set your watch to noon. Watch the minute hand to quickly tell you how much time you’ve spent in the section. You’ll be able to quickly calculate how many minutes remain.

TRICK 2: End at noon

Before a section begins, backtrack to a starting time based on ending at noon.  Set your watch as follows, and check your watch regularly, knowing that your time is up at 12:00.

For more advice to maximize your potential on the ACT, see these top tips for maximizing performance on test day.

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