Time Management Practice

In CEM 11+ exams, time management is one of the single biggest factors that separates high-scoring students from the rest. This lesson teaches you how to plan your time, when to move on from a question, and how to use your final minutes wisely.

---

Understanding CEM Timing

CEM exams vary by region, but a typical paper might look like this:

Paper	Questions	Time	Seconds per question
English & VR	40-50	45 minutes	54-68 seconds
Maths & NVR	40-50	45 minutes	54-68 seconds
Mixed paper	80+	45-50 minutes	34-38 seconds

The key insight is that you will almost certainly not have time to ponder every question. You need a strategy for deciding how long to spend on each one.

---

The 30-Second Rule

If you have been working on a question for 30 seconds and are no closer to the answer:

1. Make your best guess — eliminate any obviously wrong options first
2. Mark the question with a small dot or star in the margin
3. Move on immediately — do not waste more time
4. Come back at the end if you have time remaining

This single rule can be worth several extra marks, because the time you save on one hard question can be spent answering two or three easier ones.

---

Planning Your Time

At the start of the exam, spend 30 seconds planning:

Step	What to do	Why
1	Count the total number of questions	So you know how much you need to do
2	Note the total time available	Written on the front of the paper
3	Divide time by questions	This gives you your pace
4	Set mini-deadlines	Example: "By 20 minutes, I should be on question 20"

Mini-Deadline Example

For a 45-minute paper with 40 questions:

Time elapsed	Target question
0 minutes	Start question 1
11 minutes	Reach question 10
22 minutes	Reach question 20
33 minutes	Reach question 30
40 minutes	Reach question 40
40-45 minutes	Check answers and return to marked questions

If you reach the 22-minute mark and you are only on question 15, you know you need to speed up. This early warning system prevents the horrible discovery at the end that you have ten unanswered questions.

---

Which Questions to Prioritise

Not all questions are worth the same amount of effort. Use this priority system: