Time Limits – Star UK

Although scores are not based on how quickly students answer questions, there is a time limit for answering each test question.

These are the standard and extended time limits:

Star Reading test (34 questions)

Years	Question Type	Standard Time Limit (seconds/item)	Extended Time Limit (seconds/item)
1–3	Practice	60	180
1–2	Test Section A, questions 1–16^a	60	180
1–2	Test Section B, questions 17–34^b	120	270
3	Test Section A, questions 1–10^a	60	180
3	Test Section B, questions 11–34^b	120^c	270^d
4–13	Practice	60	180
4–13	Test Section A, questions 1–10^a	45	135
4–13	Test Section B, questions 11–34^b	90^e	270^f

a. Vocabulary-in-context items.
b. Items from 5 domains in 5 blocks, including some vocabulary-in-context.
c. 60 seconds for vocabulary-in-context items.
d. 180 seconds for vocabulary-in-context items.
e. 45 seconds for vocabulary-in-context items.
f. 135 seconds for vocabulary-in-context items.

Students in all years get 60 seconds to answer practice questions.

Fifteen seconds before the time limit is up for a question, the program will flash a picture of a clock on the screen. When this happens, the student should make their best guess as soon as possible. If the student does not enter an answer before time runs out, the question will disappear, and the program will notify the student that time has run out. Then, the next question will appear. Items that time out are counted as incorrect unless the student has already selected the correct answer.

These time limits can be extended using the Extended Question Time Limit Preference. If you extend the time limit, remember that Star Reading norms, as well as other technical data such as reliability and validity, are based on test administration using the standard time limits. When you print reports that include tests taken with the extended time limit, a footnote will appear on the report to remind you that the extended time limit was used.