CSCA papers are won or lost on the clock: 48 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes means roughly 75 seconds per question — with no calculator allowed. Students who can solve everything untimed still fail when pacing collapses. This guide gives you the exact pacing system our mock exams enforce — because pacing collapse is the top score killer.
The 75-second rule
75 seconds is a budget, not a deadline: easy questions should take 30–45 seconds and bank time for harder ones. The hard rule — never spend more than 2 minutes on a single question. One stuck question costs you two easy ones later in the paper.
75s
average budget per question
2 min
hard cap, then flag + move
0
calculators allowed
Figures as of Sep 2026 · verify exam facts on csca.cn
The 4-phase paper strategy
- Phase 1 — Sweep (0–20 min): answer everything you can solve in under a minute. Flag the rest.
- Phase 2 — Work (20–45 min): return to flagged questions with fresh eyes, hardest first.
- Phase 3 — Review (45–55 min): re-check flagged answers and catch misreads.
- Phase 4 — Fill (last 5 min): answer every remaining question — there is no negative marking.
No-calculator mental math that matters
CSCA numbers are chosen to simplify cleanly — examiners use g ≈ 10, simple ratios and clean fractions. Drill fraction–decimal conversions, log rules and unit conversions until automatic. Our chapter lessons pair every topic with timed sets so speed builds alongside knowledge.
How to train pacing
Start with 10-question timed sets (12 minutes), then graduate to full 48-question mocks with the countdown running and auto-submit on. Watch your speed metric on the progress dashboard — stable pace with minutes to spare is the readiness signal. New to the exam format? The honest difficulty guide shows what to train for beyond content.
How much time per question in the CSCA?
About 75 seconds on average: 48 questions in 60 minutes for Math, Physics and Chemistry. Professional Chinese gives about 65 seconds per question (80 in 90 minutes).
Should I guess on CSCA questions I cannot solve?
Yes — answer everything. There is no negative marking, so a flagged guess in the last 5 minutes always beats a blank — and with no pass mark, every point counts.
How do I stop running out of time?
Cap every question at 2 minutes, flag and move on, and rehearse the 4-phase strategy in full timed mocks until it is automatic.
