Time management and smart guessing — DIM: School-leaving and university entrance exams

In this lesson you will learn

Build a time budget for the first and second stages
Calculate the value of a guess under the penalty rule
Practise at real exam pace with a timer

In a mock test Murad spent 25 minutes on the seventh written mathematics task and never reached the foreign-language reading text. He had the knowledge but no plan. A DIM exam gives one shared block of 3 hours for all subjects, and you split the time yourself — that is both a freedom and a risk.

Your time budget

average time = 180 min / number of tasks: stage 1 (81 tasks from 2027) ≈ 2.2 min, stage 2 = 2 minaverage time = 180 min / number of tasks: stage 1 (81 tasks from 2027) ≈ 2.2 min, stage 2 = 2 min

The average is misleading: a closed task may take 1 minute and a written solution 5–8 minutes. The 180 minutes are the 2026 time; DIM has not yet announced the school-leaving exam time for 2027.

Exam	Suggested split (180 min)
Stage 1 (school-leaving)	Language 55 · mathematics 70 · foreign language 45 · checking and transfer 10
Stage 2 (group)	1.5-weight subjects 55 + 55 · weight-1 subject 50 · checking and transfer 20

This is not an official split — it is a starting plan. Adjust it to your own speed in mock tests. The foreign-language listening text is played in the room, so follow the invigilator's instructions. From 2027 the foreign language also has a paragraph of at least 100 words: keep 15–20 of your 45 minutes for it.

1
Pass 1
Work through the subject's closed and coded tasks in order. If a task takes more than 2 minutes, circle its number in the question booklet and move on.
2
Written tasks
Give written tasks their own time block: first the one you are surest of, then the others; a partial solution can still earn points.
3
Pass 2
Return to the circled tasks. Now you share the remaining time between them instead of getting stuck on one.
4
Transfer
Copy answers to the answer sheet at the end of each subject; do not leave it to the last minute — only the sheet is marked.

Interactive

Loading simulation…

Always do mock tests with a timer: a feel for time comes only with practice.

The maths of guessing

In the first stage (school-leaving) wrong answers are not penalized, so always answer every closed task. In the second stage, however, a wrong closed answer removes ¼ of a right answer. So is guessing worth it? Let us calculate the expected gain.

E = 1/k − (1 − 1/k) · 1/4E = 1/k − (1 − 1/k) · 1/4

where:

Ethe average “net” right answers one guess brings
koptions left after elimination (from 5 down to 2)

Options left (k)	Expected gain E	Verdict
5	0	neutral: on average neither gains nor loses
4	1/16	slightly worth it
3	1/6	worth it
2	3/8	clearly worth it

Assumes DIM's closed tasks have 5 options (A–E).

Practice: the last 12 minutes

In the second stage (biology, coefficient 1.5) Elvin has 12 minutes left and 6 closed tasks unanswered. In two of them he can confidently cross out 2 options; in the other four he cannot eliminate anything. What should he do, and how many points does it bring on average?

Show solution

In the two tasks 3 options remain: each has E = 1/6, so 2 · 1/6 = 1/3 of a “net” answer.
In points: 1/3 · 100/33 · 1.5 ≈ 1.5 points — a free gain.
In the other four tasks a blind guess averages 0 but adds risk. Best: spend the remaining time trying to eliminate options there; if you can cross one out, answer; if not, leave it blank.

Key points

The 3 hours are shared by all subjects: ≈ 2.2 minutes per task in stage 1 and 2 in stage 2.
Two passes: solve what you know first, mark the sticky tasks and come back later.
In the school-leaving exam answer every closed task; in stage 2 guess after crossing out at least one option.
Copy answers to the answer sheet at the end of each subject.

Check yourself

10 questions. Every correct answer earns XP.

1 / 10

On average, how much time is there per task in the second stage?