Master the Clock
Grad Student @ Cambridge University Score : 8.5
The Hidden Enemy: Mastering Time Management in IELTS Reading
You could have the vocabulary of a native speaker, but if you run out of time on the IELTS Reading test, you won't get the score you need.
You are given exactly 60 minutes to read three long passages and answer 40 questions. That averages out to 20 minutes per passage, including the time it takes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
Most students fail the reading section because they treat it like a novel study. Here is how the pros manage the clock.
The 15-20-25 Rule
The passages generally get progressively harder. If you spend 20 minutes on Passage 1, you will likely run out of time on Passage 3. Shift your targets instead:
Section | Target Time | Strategy |
Passage 1 (Easiest) | 15 Minutes | Attack quickly; these answers are usually easy to find. |
Passage 2 (Moderate) | 20 Minutes | Keep a steady pace. Watch out for tricky distractors. |
Passage 3 (Hardest) | 25 Minutes | Gives you a 5-minute buffer to handle deep, complex inferential questions. |
Stop Reading Every Word
You do not have time to read the text line by line. The exam tests your ability to locate information quickly using two distinct skills:
Skimming: Glancing over a paragraph in 30 seconds to understand the main idea or gist. Look at the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
Scanning: Darting your eyes across the text looking for specific keywords (names, dates, numbers, or technical terms) related to the question.
Pro Tip: Never leave an answer blank. Unlike some standardized tests, there is no negative marking in IELTS. A blind guess gives you a 25% chance of getting a point—a blank space gives you zero.
Published July 18, 2026