Most pacing advice forgets one fact: in CELPIP Reading, time never moves from one part to another. You cannot finish Part 1 early and spend the extra minutes on Part 4.
So pacing is not one big plan. It is four small plans, one for each clock.
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CELPIP Reading has four parts with four fixed clocks: 11, 9, 10 and 13 minutes. The rules of the clock, CELPIP's own plan inside each part, and what to do when you fall behind.
Most pacing advice forgets one fact: in CELPIP Reading, time never moves from one part to another. You cannot finish Part 1 early and spend the extra minutes on Part 4.
So pacing is not one big plan. It is four small plans, one for each clock.
These rules are CELPIP's, from its 2026 Reading study pack.
| Part | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Reading Correspondence | 11 | 11 minutes |
| 2 Reading to Apply a Diagram | 8 | 9 minutes |
| 3 Reading for Information | 9 | 10 minutes |
| 4 Reading for Viewpoints | 10 | 13 minutes |
Two things follow from these rules. Time you save in one part is lost, so use every part's full clock. And inside a part you can move between questions, so one hard question never has to stop you.
CELPIP's study pack also gives a plan for each clock. These are the times it suggests.
| Part | The plan |
|---|---|
| Part 1 (11 minutes) | 30 seconds to preview, then read and answer, then 30 seconds to review |
| Part 2 (9 minutes) | 30 seconds on the diagram, 30 seconds on the email, about 5 minutes on the 5 blanks, 2 and a half minutes on the 3 questions, 30 seconds to review |
| Part 3 (10 minutes) | 1 minute to preview the paragraphs, about 8 and a half minutes to read and answer, 30 seconds to review |
| Part 4 (13 minutes) | 1 minute on the first questions, about 3 minutes on who thinks what and why, 4 and a half minutes on the 5 questions, 4 minutes on the comment and its 5 blanks, 30 seconds to review |
Notice what every plan has in common: a short look before you answer anything, and a short review at the end. The review is there for one reason: so that no question is left empty.
The lesson for each part shows how to use these minutes: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
These rules are ours. They work because of CELPIP's rule that you can change an answer until the part's clock ends.
If one question has taken you more than 90 seconds, stop. Choose the option you think is best now, write the question number on your paper, and move on.
You have not left a blank, and you have not lost the time of two other questions. If there is time before the clock ends, go back to the numbers on your paper.
Look at the clock when half of the part's time has gone. You should have answered about half of the questions.
If you are behind, change how you work for the rest of the part. Answer the questions you can answer quickly first: a name, a date, a price, one clear line. Then come back to the slow ones.
When about a minute is left, stop reading the text. Go through every question and make sure each one has an answer, even if it is a guess.
A guess cannot lose points. An empty answer always does.
When you guess, do not just pick the softest or most careful option. Look at the words the person in the text used. A strong opinion needs a strong answer, and a soft one needs a soft answer.
🎥 A full CELPIP Reading practice test, part by part (12:30)
All four parts and 38 questions. Pause the video, set the part's clock, answer on paper, then check every answer with the line in the text that proves it.
Jump to: 0:54 the rules of the clock · 1:27 Part 1 · 3:35 Part 2 · 5:47 Part 3 · 7:46 Part 4 · 10:37 your number out of 38 · 10:52 3 lessons from the hardest questions
CELPIP's study pack suggests starting without the clock, so you can work "without rushing or guessing". Speed comes after accuracy, not before.
Step 1. No clock (one week). Do practice sets with no timer. Get the method from the part lessons right first.
Step 2. One part, one clock. Do single parts with their real clock: 11, 9, 10 or 13 minutes. After each one, write down how long each step took you.
Step 3. The full test. Do all four parts in a row, with each part's clock, the way the real test runs. Write your number out of 38 and compare it with your target from Lesson 1.
Keep a short time log. For each practice part, note one thing: where did the time go? If it is always the same part, or the same kind of question, that is the lesson to read again.
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