Reading comprehension lets you go back. That freedom is a time trap.
In listening comprehension you hear the audio once and move on. There is no going back. In reading comprehension you can return to any question as often as you like. It feels like a gift. It is what drains the clock.
The trap
Because you can go back, you linger on the early questions. But the difficulty rises as you go: the last questions are the ones that decide your upper level.
Every minute spent hesitating at the start is taken from the questions that pay the most.
Key points
- 39 questions in 60 minutes: 1 minute 32 per question on average, not a second more.
- On our tests over the last 30 days: 201 reading sessions started, 113 finished.
- The method: answer all 39 first, then go back with whatever time is left. Never the other way round.
Why that freedom works against you
One doubtful question early on and you read it again. You weigh two options. You tell yourself you will settle it later, and you come back to it anyway. Do that three times and ten minutes are gone on the shortest, easiest texts of the test. The long documents come later, when the clock has nothing left to give.
How to use that right properly
Going back is not there for hesitating, it is there for sorting. First pass: answer everything, get stuck on nothing, leave your doubt behind you. Second pass: return only to the questions you flagged, with the time you saved and a clearer head. Our reading comprehension tests run the exact exam format, timer included — it is the only way to find out how many minutes you actually lose at the start.
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On test day nobody takes away your right to go back. Nobody gives you the minutes back either.
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