Ontario bar exam pacerOntario bar exam pacer
At minute 137, with a fact pattern you have read twice and not understood, the question you need answered is not how many minutes a question is worth. It is whether you are behind. Glance at this and you know in about two seconds.
Set up your pacer
How long is your exam?If the Law Society has granted you additional time, put your real length in. A pacer built for someone else’s clock will have you rushing a paper you were given the time to do properly.
Your chart
- Questions
- 160
- Session time
- 4:30:00
- Minutes per question
- 0:01:41
- Starts at
- 10:00 am
- Ends at
- 2:30 pm
Counting down
| Time remaining | Question you should be on |
|---|---|
| 4:30:00 | 0 |
| 4:21:34 | 5 |
| 4:13:08 | 10 |
| 4:04:41 | 15 |
| 3:56:15 | 20 |
| 3:47:49 | 25 |
| 3:39:23 | 30 |
| 3:30:56 | 35 |
| 3:22:30 | 40 |
| 3:14:04 | 45 |
| 3:05:38 | 50 |
| 2:57:11 | 55 |
| 2:48:45 | 60 |
| 2:40:19 | 65 |
| 2:31:52 | 70 |
| 2:23:26 | 75 |
| 2:15:00 | 80 |
| 2:06:34 | 85 |
| 1:58:07 | 90 |
| 1:49:41 | 95 |
| 1:41:15 | 100 |
| 1:32:49 | 105 |
| 1:24:22 | 110 |
| 1:15:56 | 115 |
| 1:07:30 | 120 |
| 0:59:04 | 125 |
| 0:50:37 | 130 |
| 0:42:11 | 135 |
| 0:33:45 | 140 |
| 0:25:19 | 145 |
| 0:16:52 | 150 |
| 0:08:26 | 155 |
| 0:00:00 | 160 |
Counting upThe second table is there in case the clock in your room counts up rather than down. We have never seen a sitting run that way, and working out which direction the clock is going is a poor thing to be doing in your first minute.
| Time elapsed | Question you should be on |
|---|---|
| 0:00:00 | 0 |
| 0:08:26 | 5 |
| 0:16:52 | 10 |
| 0:25:19 | 15 |
| 0:33:45 | 20 |
| 0:42:11 | 25 |
| 0:50:37 | 30 |
| 0:59:04 | 35 |
| 1:07:30 | 40 |
| 1:15:56 | 45 |
| 1:24:22 | 50 |
| 1:32:49 | 55 |
| 1:41:15 | 60 |
| 1:49:41 | 65 |
| 1:58:07 | 70 |
| 2:06:34 | 75 |
| 2:15:00 | 80 |
| 2:23:26 | 85 |
| 2:31:52 | 90 |
| 2:40:19 | 95 |
| 2:48:45 | 100 |
| 2:57:11 | 105 |
| 3:05:38 | 110 |
| 3:14:04 | 115 |
| 3:22:30 | 120 |
| 3:30:56 | 125 |
| 3:39:23 | 130 |
| 3:47:49 | 135 |
| 3:56:15 | 140 |
| 4:04:41 | 145 |
| 4:13:08 | 150 |
| 4:21:34 | 155 |
| 4:30:00 | 160 |
Time of dayThe third table is the time of day. The Law Society now projects the room’s clock rather than a countdown, so if that is what you will be looking at, this is the column to read. Sittings start at 10:00 am. Change it above if yours does not.
| Clock reads | Question you should be on |
|---|---|
| 10:00:00 am | 0 |
| 10:08:26 am | 5 |
| 10:16:52 am | 10 |
| 10:25:19 am | 15 |
| 10:33:45 am | 20 |
| 10:42:11 am | 25 |
| 10:50:37 am | 30 |
| 10:59:04 am | 35 |
| 11:07:30 am | 40 |
| 11:15:56 am | 45 |
| 11:24:22 am | 50 |
| 11:32:49 am | 55 |
| 11:41:15 am | 60 |
| 11:49:41 am | 65 |
| 11:58:07 am | 70 |
| 12:06:34 pm | 75 |
| 12:15:00 pm | 80 |
| 12:23:26 pm | 85 |
| 12:31:52 pm | 90 |
| 12:40:19 pm | 95 |
| 12:48:45 pm | 100 |
| 12:57:11 pm | 105 |
| 1:05:38 pm | 110 |
| 1:14:04 pm | 115 |
| 1:22:30 pm | 120 |
| 1:30:56 pm | 125 |
| 1:39:23 pm | 130 |
| 1:47:49 pm | 135 |
| 1:56:15 pm | 140 |
| 2:04:41 pm | 145 |
| 2:13:08 pm | 150 |
| 2:21:34 pm | 155 |
| 2:30:00 pm | 160 |
ontariobarexam.com · a division of LexPD · independent exam preparation, not affiliated with the Law Society of Ontario
Using it
- Check it every ten or twenty questions, or at the section breaks. A pacer you consult constantly becomes a source of anxiety rather than a cure for one.
- Bring it into your practice exams so glancing at it is automatic, and so you learn what your own drift looks like before it matters.
- Being behind is a fact about your pace, not a verdict on your preparation. Recover gradually over a section rather than rushing the next fifteen questions.
- Cut lookups before you cut reading. Hunting in your materials is the fastest saving available to you.
- Never leave a question without an answer selected, even one you intend to return to. A wrong answer and a blank are worth the same, and you may not get back to it.
More on pacing, and what to do when you fall behind, in the blog. To find out where your time actually goes, our full-length practice exams time every answer and chart your pace across the paper.
Always confirm your own examination length and any granted accommodations with the Law Society of Ontario. This chart is a study aid produced by LexPD and is not published or endorsed by the Law Society.