By Lockin Team
7 January 2026
Students in Singapore will never be able to escape from timed papers. From primary, secondary, tertiary and even at the university level, timed papers are an unavoidable aspect of the education system that is often graded and will constitute a heavy weightage of a students’ grade. Therefore, it is essential for a student, in their journey to become a top scorer, to master the skill of conquering timed papers like an untimed one and be able to perform just as well (Or if not better) for timed assessments. Habits can be started all the way from the primary level to equip the student to breeze through the timed aspect of the education system.
In this blog, we aim to impart some of the tips and advice our expert tutors have on how they tackle timed papers and score well for them.
1) Start with the Right Mindset: Timed ≠ Rushed
Most students think timed papers mean they must “go faster.” In reality, top scorers don’t rush—they work efficiently. The difference is simple:
Rushing leads to careless mistakes, skipped steps, and panic.
Efficiency means choosing the right method quickly, writing only what’s needed, and moving on at the right time.
A timed paper is not a race. It is a test of decision-making under time constraints.
2) Learn the Paper Structure (So Nothing Surprises You)
Before attempting any timed paper, students should know:
How many questions there are
Which sections are heavier
Which question types usually take longer
The typical “trap” areas where marks are lost
When students are familiar with the structure, they waste less time figuring out what to do during the paper, and more time actually solving questions.
Tip from our tutors:
Do a “paper scan” in the first 30–60 seconds. Identify:
easy marks to secure
questions that look time-consuming
questions you want to return to later
This builds calmness and gives the student control.
3) Use Time Anchors (So You Always Know Where You Stand)
Many students lose time simply because they don’t notice they are behind. A simple method is to set time checkpoints.
For example:
If the paper is 50 minutes with 25 marks, then roughly 2 minutes per mark is a good starting guide.
If a question is worth 2 marks, don’t spend 8 minutes on it.
You don’t have to calculate perfectly—just create a habit of checking time after every few questions.
A practical way to train this habit:
Write down 3 checkpoints on the question paper before starting, like:
“By 20 min, I should be at Q10”
“By 35 min, I should be at Q18”
“Last 10 min = checking”
This reduces panic and helps students pace naturally.
4) The “Skip and Return” Strategy (Top Scorers Do This)
One of the biggest differences between average scorers and top scorers is this:
Top scorers know when to move on.
If a student gets stuck, they should:
circle the question number
leave a small mark on the question paper
move on immediately
return later once easy marks are secured
Staying stuck for too long is usually what causes students to leave easy questions blank later.
Rule of thumb:
If you can’t see a clear next step within 20–30 seconds, skip first.
5) Train Accuracy Under Time Pressure (Not Just Speed)
Students often practise slowly at home, then panic during exams. The missing piece is training accuracy while timed.
Here’s the best way to do that without overwhelming students:
Start with mini-timed practices (10–15 minutes)
Focus on one skill or topic at a time
Slowly increase difficulty and length over weeks
For example, instead of doing a full paper every time, do:
10 minutes: 5 short questions
15 minutes: 3 problem sums
20 minutes: mixed section drill
This builds real exam performance gradually.
6) Build a Personal “Careless Mistake Checklist”
Timed papers expose a student’s careless habits. Some common ones include:
copying numbers wrongly
wrong units (cm vs m, min vs h)
missing keywords (“difference”, “remaining”, “at least”)
skipping working and losing track
rounding too early
The fastest way to fix carelessness is not “be more careful.”
It’s to build a checklist that fits the student’s own mistake patterns.
Example checklist:
Did I copy the numbers correctly?
Did I include the unit?
Does my answer make sense (too big/too small)?
Did I answer what the question asked?
Then in the last 5–10 minutes, students run through this checklist while checking.
7) Review Timed Papers the Right Way (This Is Where Improvement Happens)
Doing timed papers is important, but the real improvement happens in the review.
After every timed practice, students should:
mark which questions they lost time on
identify why (concept? method? careless?)
redo the question correctly
write down the lesson learned in one line
Over time, students will start seeing patterns, like always losing time on specific question types. That is when improvement becomes targeted and speeds up!
Final Note: Habits Beat Talent in Timed Papers
Timed papers reward students who are trained to pace themselves and stay calm.
The earlier these habits start, the more natural timed assessments feel. Even students who currently struggle with time can improve significantly with the right system.
#Lockin with us.
