Beating the Clock: Time Management in the SQE1 Exam
You can know your subjects inside out and still come unstuck for one reason: time. Plenty of capable candidates leave questions unanswered simply because they ran out of clock. The reassuring part is that pacing is a skill you can practise, and once you have it, the timer becomes a tool rather than a threat.
Know your budget
Each FLK paper gives you 180 questions split across two sittings. That works out to a little under two minutes per question. The key insight is that most questions take less than that, which means every quick answer banks time for the harder ones later. You are managing an average, not racing every single question.
The three pass system
This is the single most reliable way to use your time well.
- First pass: the certainties. Go through and answer every question you know quickly. Do not linger. If one makes you stall, flag it and move on at once.
- Second pass: the flagged ones. Return to your flagged questions with the time you saved. With pressure off the rest of the paper, these feel easier.
- Final pass: the leftovers. Make sure every question has an answer. There is no negative marking, so a considered guess is always better than a blank.
The candidates who run out of time are almost always those who refuse to leave a hard question on the first pass. One stubborn question can quietly cost you five easy ones.
Train under real conditions
You cannot learn pacing from untimed practice. In the final weeks, do full length timed mocks so the rhythm becomes second nature. Notice where you tend to lose time and build the habit of flagging early. The exam should feel familiar, not foreign.
Handle the time pressure spikes
When you feel the clock pressing and your pulse rising, pause for one slow breath and trust your system. Panic makes you reread and second guess, which burns the very time you are worried about. A calm, methodical pace is faster than a frantic one.
Guess well, leave nothing blank
If time is nearly up and questions remain, eliminate what you can and choose. An educated guess has real odds of being right, and a blank has none. Sweep the paper at the end to be certain every answer box is filled. Marks left on the table are the saddest kind to lose.