Reading has 55–60 minutes and 4 parts. Everybody knows they have to watch the clock — very few candidates actually have a per-part plan. Here's one that works.
Per-part time budget
| Part | Task | Target time |
|---|---|---|
| R1 | Correspondence (11 Q) | 9 min |
| R2 | Diagram (8 Q) | 8 min |
| R3 | Information (9 Q) | 10 min |
| R4 | Viewpoints (10 Q) | 13 min |
| — | Buffer + review | 5 min |
Always commit before you check
The flag-and-revisit strategy sounds smart but rarely helps in CELPIP Reading. The time cost of re-reading is huge. Pick your best answer on first read, flag only truly ambiguous ones, and revisit only in the final buffer.
The 30-second rule for Part 4
Part 4 (Viewpoints) is the part most candidates run out of time on. Give yourself exactly 30 seconds per question on first pass. If you're deliberating, guess using the process of elimination and keep moving. You can flag it and come back, but only after the whole test is done.
When to skim, when to read
- R1 email: read in full. It's short and details matter.
- R2 diagram: skim the diagram, read the caption carefully.
- R3 long passage: skim first to map paragraphs, then read the question and jump to the paragraph.
- R4 viewpoints: read every paragraph once — not optional. Don't skim this one.
What to do if you're behind
If you're 3+ minutes behind after R2, cut your R3 reading time by skipping the intro paragraph. The intro rarely contains answers in CELPIP — it sets up context the questions don't test.