CARS Timing and Pacing

The Budget

CARS gives 90 minutes for 53 questions across roughly 9 passages -- about 10 minutes per passage: 4-5 minutes reading, 5-6 minutes for the ~6 questions, roughly one minute per question. Treat this budget as a hard constraint.

Pacing Checkpoints

Check the clock only at passage boundaries, not after every question. Benchmarks: passage 3 done around minute 30, passage 6 around minute 60, all nine finished with a few minutes to spare. Constant clock-watching wastes time and rattles you.

The Most Expensive Mistake

Four extra minutes wrestling one brutal question are stolen from a later passage you never reach -- trading a coin-flip on one item for about six questions you would answer at 70-80 percent accuracy. Flag it and move on: all questions are worth the same.

The End-Game Rule

There is no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a bubble blank. If time is expiring, pick one letter and fill every remaining bubble -- random guessing banks roughly one in four for free.

Key Takeaways

• 10 minutes per passage: ~4 reading, ~6 answering
• Check the clock at passage boundaries only (30/60/90 benchmarks)
• Flag and move -- protect later passages from earlier ones
• Never leave a blank; guessing carries no penalty