THE NUMBERS, EXPLAINED
How to use this calculator.
Distribute answering time in proportion to section marks, after setting aside reading and review. Fractional minutes are retained; question difficulty is not inferred.
Start with your inputs
Enter section marks, exam minutes, reading reserve (minutes), review reserve (minutes). Keep amounts in the units shown on each field. The example is a starting point, not a recommended value.
| Input | Example value |
|---|---|
| Section marks | 20,30,50 |
| Exam minutes | 120 |
| Reading reserve (minutes) | 10 |
| Review reserve (minutes) | 10 |
A worked example
With the example inputs above, section minutes is 20, 30, 50. Change the inputs to explore your own scenario.
| Result | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Section minutes | 20, 30, 50 |
| Available answering minutes | 100 |
How this is calculated
Section minutes
For each section mark x: (b−c−d) × x/sum(a).
Available answering minutes
b−c−d.
Symbols and units
- a
- Section marks
- b
- Exam minutes
- c
- Reading reserve (minutes)
- d
- Review reserve (minutes)
Use the units shown. A list keeps the order in which you enter its values. The symbol ^ means “raised to the power of”.
Calculation steps and notation
sum(list) adds all entries in the list.
Assumptions and limits
Distribute answering time in proportion to section marks, after setting aside reading and review. Fractional minutes are retained; question difficulty is not inferred.
Calculations use the values you enter. Blank or invalid inputs show an error instead of silently substituting zero. Results are displayed to useful precision; calculations retain the underlying numeric precision.
Questions about this tool
What does the result tell me?
Section minutes; Available answering minutes. The result applies to the method and inputs described above. Check the units and assumptions before using it in a decision.
Why might another calculator differ?
Differences in units, rounding, timing or model definitions can produce different answers. Compare the input definitions and the method, rather than only the final number. For this tool: Distribute answering time in proportion to section marks, after setting aside reading and review. Fractional minutes are retained; question difficulty is not inferred.
Are my inputs stored or sent to AI?
Calculations on this page happen in your browser. The separate AI question finder sends its submitted conversation to OpenAI; these calculator fields are not sent. Favourites and recent tool names are stored locally. A shared link contains the inputs you choose to include.
Further reading
OpenStax: algebra and proportional reasoning ↗
Background reading; this does not imply endorsement or independent review of SumFizz.
Review status
Software example and browser checks are recorded in our quality report. No external expert review is claimed. Created with coding assistance; calculations run as ordinary browser code.
Read the quality report →