Why do I always run out of time on professional exams?
Strict time limits make it nearly impossible to finish writing the overall conclusion or fully discuss why alternative options were rejected. Rushing through the exam also causes memory lapses and leaves essential exhibits unfinished, forcing candidates to cram thoughts into the final minutes.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Writing conclusions under each individual option instead of the overall conclusion sectionDid this help you?
- 2Praying for a marginal passDid this help you?
- 3concluding in word documents instead of spreadsheetsDid this help you?
- 4relying on past capstone case experiences to alleviate panicDid this help you?
- 5Drinking alcohol to cope with stress after the examDid this help you?
- 6Closing the laptop and trying not to think about the exam until results dayDid this help you?
- 7considering switching career paths or learning skills at homeDid this help you?
- 8taking extra time to practice multiple problems and understand concepts rather than rushingDid this help you?
- 9guessing on remaining questions when time runs outDid this help you?
- 10relying on exam curves to compensate for poor multiple-choice scoresDid this help you?
- 11Abandoning the attempt to request accommodations due to the perceived difficulty and uncertainty of the approval process.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Case was okay but the MCQ??? I’m doomed :(”source ↗
“I ran out of time and had to guess about 15 of them.”source ↗
“I honestly wrote as much as I can as I had only 10 mins for my OC (I know, I should have allocated more time).”source ↗
“The main issue is I did not have enough time to discuss why the other two options weren't chosen. I briefly wrote two sentences on one of the options on why it's not accepted, but the other one i ran out of time.”source ↗
“If u forget to conclude on a couple of excel exhibits but u do so in word, is it a fail?”source ↗
“Just its so hard to remember stuff when you are rushing through things”source ↗
“Felt like my brain was still writing after time got called. the day 3 cases weren't too bad overall but that last one had me staring at the screen for a solid 3 minutes trying to remember basic concepts”source ↗
“it was rough. I didnt have time to finish all the AOs, missed a few one because of time.”source ↗
“How do you get extra time, coming from a person with an IEP, is it even worth it to attempt to get it, I heard it’s basically impossible and even if you get assessed you aren’t guaranteed extra time?”source ↗
“I just want to vent after botching my Intro to accounting exam. I’m mad at myself because it was an open book exam, and I didn’t even manage to finish the whole thing.”source ↗
“I have anxiety, and I’m very slow when it comes to getting things done, so exams would probably be my worst nightmare in college.”source ↗
“I just don’t wanna deal with exams. I need to find a solution to fix my anxiety.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 31How do I stop stressing about the CFE accounting exam?
- 21How to study for professional exams when you don't know where to start
- 7Why are there so many surprise questions on professional exams?
- 4Why do students have to sit in the testing room after finishing early?
- 4How to study for tax exams after years away from school
- 2Why does my mind go blank during accounting exams?