How should you allocate time across passages and questions in the Reading section?

• A. Distribute time evenly across all questions without regard to difficulty.
• B. Spend most time on the first passage and move quickly on others.
• C. Distribute time roughly evenly, spending more on difficult questions and less on easy ones.
• D. Skip difficult questions and return at the end.

Answer: (C)

Pacing your Reading section work is about balancing speed with accuracy and adjusting effort based on how hard a question is. The best approach is to distribute time roughly evenly across the passages, but within each passage spend more time on the tougher questions and less on the easier ones. This keeps you moving steadily through each passage so nothing is left unfinished, while still giving careful attention to the items that are more likely to trip you up. It also helps prevent getting stuck on a single hard question and ensures you have enough time to answer easier ones as you go. Skipping difficult questions and saving them for the end can backfire when time runs short, and focusing almost all your time on the first passage disrupts your overall balance. Distributing time without regard to difficulty can waste valuable minutes on easy items and leave insufficient time for the tougher ones.