Top 5 Time Management Techniques for Solving 100 MCQs in 2 Hours

Master the Clock, Maximize Your Score: Proven Strategies to Complete 100 Questions in Just 120 Minutes

Why Time Management Is Half the Battle

NET Exam—and for that matter, all university entrance exams—offer a unique kind of challenge. All the preparation and revision in the world won’t matter if you can’t perform on the day of the exam. In exams like these, it’s not about what you know; it’s about how quickly and accurately you can recall and apply it.

In NET Engineering, all questions carry the same weight, but they’re not all created equal. Some take seconds, others take minutes. Here’s your first clue: you don’t need to get everything right to pass—you just need to get enough right.

Start with this mindset: There are enough questions in the exam that you can definitely solve. Your first priority is to grab those low-hanging fruits. Only after that should you dive into the trickier ones.

What usually happens, though, is this: the exam starts with Mathematics, which is long and mentally exhausting. You hunch over it, stuck on one question, then another. Suddenly, you have 15 minutes left and haven’t even touched Chemistry, Physics, or English. Panic sets in. You rush. You guess. You misread easy questions. And you leave the exam knowing you could’ve done better.

Time management isn’t optional. It’s survival.

Know the Battlefield: Understand the NET Exam Structure

Let’s break it down: 100 MCQs, 2 hours, across Math, Physics, Chemistry, and English. Simple on paper. But time moves fast in an exam setting, and the way questions are arranged? Completely arbitrary.

Here's how the questions generally break down:

Your job? Maximize time on Type 1 and 2. Type 3? Only touch if you’ve got time left. If you go question-by-question as per the exam's layout, you’ll waste precious minutes on dead ends while the easy wins get left behind.

Technique #1: The “3-Round Scan” Strategy

The best way to get through your paper is by breaking it into three strategic rounds:

• Round 1 (0–45 min): Answer only the easy, confident questions (Type 1).
• Round 2 (45–90 min): Revisit questions you marked earlier as possible (Type 2).
• Round 3 (90–120 min): Now, go for the tough ones or give your best guess (Type 3).

This strategy ensures that you maximize the number of correct answers, even if you don’t finish everything.

If you’re using the Fikr NET Engineering Mock Exam, this method is super easy to implement. Use the “Mark” feature during Round 1 to flag questions for review. Then, when you’re ready for Round 2 or 3, just hit the “Show Unmarked” button to quickly locate what’s left.

Pro Tip: Always attempt what you know first. That’s where your marks are.

Technique #2: The 60-Second Rule

So, how do you know which type a question is? That comes with practice.

Here’s a rule of thumb: if you’ve spent more than 60 seconds just thinking about how to start solving a question, mark it and move on.

Let’s say:

• A simple units conversion question should take ~30 seconds.
• A tangent line question? Might take 2 minutes—but only if you already know how to solve it.

It’s not about how long a question takes—it’s about how long you spend figuring out what to do. If you don’t know the method within 60 seconds, skip it.

Pro Tip: Use quick symbols in your rough work:

• ✅ for “I’ll get this later”
• ⚠ for “Tricky, maybe last round”

The more you practice using the mock exam, the better you’ll get at recognizing each type instantly.

Technique #3: Prioritize Your Strong Subjects First

Why start with Math just because the test does? The subject order is arbitrary.

You should start with your strongest subject, whatever it is. That builds confidence, momentum, and creates a cushion of correct answers.

Not sure what your strongest subject is? Take a few sessions on our platform and find out. In our Subject-Wise MCQs section, you can pick individual chapters from Math, Physics, Chemistry, and English to practice.

We even break down which chapters you’re weakest in, so you can fix gaps before coming back to full mocks.

📝 Make sure you’re signed in to track your scores and see your performance trends.

Technique #4: Use the “Mark for Review” Feature Wisely

The “Mark for Review” feature is a lifesaver—if you use it well.

Don’t abuse it. Marking too many questions means you’ll just create confusion later. Be intentional.

• Use it in Round 1 for any question you think you might be able to answer later.
• In Round 2, go back and give those a try.
• Don’t forget to hit “Show Unmarked” to clean up any missed questions in the final pass.

The Fikr mock platform is built to mirror this functionality—use it to build habits before the real exam.

Technique #5: Simulate Real Conditions Every Week

We didn’t include a timer in our mock test for a reason: our primary goal is to help you practice accuracy. But eventually, you’ve got to start training under exam conditions too.

So, here’s what to do:

• Once a week, take a full NET Engineering Mock Test
• Set a 2-hour timer
• No breaks, no distractions
• Track how much time you spend per subject afterward

This helps build both stamina and mental timing, which are crucial when solving 100 questions under pressure.

Final Thoughts: Train Your Timing Like a Muscle

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

You don’t need to rush the questions you know. Answer them calmly and correctly. Then, use your extra time to tackle the harder ones.

Don’t make the mistake of rushing through easy questions and getting them wrong, only to also struggle with the tough ones. Be smart. Be strategic.

And remember—timing is a skill. The more you train, the better you’ll get.

👉 Ready to Practice Smarter?

• Try the full NET Engineering Mock Test
• For targeted prep, go to our Subject-Wise MCQs
• Sign in to save your progress, track weaknesses, and get chapter-by-chapter analysis

Your time starts now. 🕒