Pacing and the Two-Pass Method · Strategy summary

Pacing and the Two-Pass Method: strategy summary

  1. Two passes: answer the quick questions first; for a slow one, bubble a guess, note it, and move on.
  2. Second pass by promise: rank 1 (method known), then rank 2 (choices ruled out), then rank 3 (couldn't start).
  3. Last minute: no blanks. There is no guessing penalty, so a guess always beats a blank.
  4. English: 42 seconds a question, so 10 questions every 7 minutes. Read only what each question needs.
  5. Math: about 67 seconds a question (9 every 10 minutes). Move briskly through the questions you know well, and cap any question at 2 minutes.
  6. Reading: 36 questions in 40 minutes. With four passage sets, about 10 minutes a set, reading included.
  7. Science: 60 seconds a question. Rate passages 1 to 3 by their figures and work the 1s first.