How Much Time Do You Get for the CARS Section on the MCAT?

If you’re preparing for the MCAT, one of the first things you’ll need to master is time management—especially when it comes to the CARS section. Unlike the science sections that test factual knowledge, the Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section evaluates your ability to interpret dense, unfamiliar material and draw logical conclusions under strict time pressure.

So, how long is the MCAT CARS Section?   You’ll have 90 minutes to complete 9 passages and 53 questions. That averages out to about 10 minutes per passage, including reading and answering all associated CARS questions. With no access to external knowledge or formulas, every second matters—and every passage demands full mental engagement.

Whether you're just starting your MCAT prep or fine-tuning your test-day strategy, understanding how CARS timing works is essential to your success. In this guide, we’ll break down how to manage your time effectively, what pacing strategies top scorers use, and how to turn time pressure into your advantage.

I. Overview of the CARS Section

The Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills (CARS) section is one of the four main components of the MCAT exam and serves as a rigorous test of your ability to interpret complex ideas and arguments under pressure. Unlike the science sections that focus on factual recall, CARS is all about how well you can think—evaluate evidence, draw conclusions, and understand author intent in real time.

You’ll face 9 passage-based sets taken from the humanities and social sciences, covering abstract topics like ethics, philosophy, literature, and sociology. Each passage is followed by 5 to 7 MCAT questions, adding up to 53 questions in total. The entire section must be completed in 90 minutes, making time pressure a real factor in your success.

CARS does not test content knowledge—your ability to perform well comes down to mastering reading comprehension, critical analysis, and reasoning skills. You'll need to identify key concepts, understand tone, recognize logical structure, and avoid relying on outside knowledge. The skills tested here closely mimic the type of analytical thinking physicians use daily, which is why medical schools and admissions committees place so much emphasis on this score.

II. Time Allocation for the CARS Section

When it comes to MCAT timing, the CARS section presents a unique challenge. You are given 90 minutes to complete the entire section, which includes 9 passages and 53 questions. That breaks down to an average of just under 10 minutes per passage, including time to read and answer all related MCAT questions.

This time pressure is no accident—it’s designed to test your ability to process dense material efficiently, think critically, and avoid getting stuck on incorrect answers. On test day, it’s essential that you strike the right balance between reading speed and accuracy. Spending too long on one passage can cost you precious time on others.

A strong time management strategy will give you a major advantage. That means knowing exactly how long to spend on reading, when to start answering questions, and when to move on if you're stuck. Most high scorers recommend allocating about 4–5 minutes to read the passage and 5–6 minutes to work through the answer choices—but flexibility is key, especially if you encounter a particularly complex or abstract text.

Ultimately, mastering the time allocation for the CARS section can significantly improve your overall CARS score. The more you practice under realistic timing conditions, the better you’ll get at pacing, predicting question types, and answering with precision.

III. Breakdown of Time Management

One of the most common challenges students face with the MCAT CARS section is finding the right balance between reading carefully and answering efficiently. With 90 minutes for 9 passages and 53 questions, your success hinges on how effectively you manage every minute.

Here’s a recommended breakdown used by many top scorers:

• 4–5 minutes to read each passage: Your reading should be active, not passive. Focus on identifying the author’s main idea, tone, structure, and transitions. Avoid rereading excessively—aim for one clear, purposeful read-through.
• 5–6 minutes to answer the questions: After reading, move quickly but methodically through the CARS questions. Eliminate obviously wrong answer choices, avoid extreme wording, and return to the passage only when absolutely necessary. Precision matters, but so does forward momentum.

This pacing allows about 10 minutes per passage, which adds up perfectly to your total time—but it leaves little room for hesitation. That’s why it’s crucial to practice under timed conditions during your MCAT prep. You should also build in flexibility: if a passage is easier or shorter, finish it in 8–9 minutes and use the extra time on more difficult sets later.

A good time management plan isn’t rigid—it adapts to the passage in front of you. With repetition, you’ll begin to recognize how long different passage types take and refine your internal clock. By test day, your pacing should feel natural, not forced.

IV. How Many Passages Are in the CARS Section?

The MCAT CARS section contains a total of 9 passages, each followed by 5 to 7 questions, making up 53 questions in total. You are given 90 minutes to complete the entire section, which averages to about 10 minutes per passage when accounting for both reading and answering questions. This timing includes no scheduled breaks and must be managed carefully.

Each of these passages is drawn from disciplines within the humanities and social sciences, such as philosophy, literature, ethics, and cultural studies. They're written in dense, often abstract language and are designed to test how well you can interpret, analyze, and reason through unfamiliar material. Because the subject matter is intentionally unpredictable, you can’t rely on memorization or outside knowledge—instead, you must extract all meaning directly from the passage.

Want a deeper dive into how these 9 passages are structured and how to approach them strategically? Read our full guide: How Many CARS Passages are on the MCAT.

V. How Many Questions Per Passage?

On the MCAT CARS section, each of the 9 passages is followed by 5 to 7 questions, for a total of 53 questions in the entire section. While most passages will contain 6 questions, the distribution is not fixed, and you won’t know how many questions follow a passage until you reach them on test day.

This variation may seem minor, but it has important implications for your pacing strategy. A 5-question passage might allow you to move more quickly and bank time, while a 7-question passage could demand extra focus and careful time allocation. Because the CARS section is so tightly timed—just 90 minutes total—even small imbalances can add up.

Each CARS question is equally weighted, so a 5-question passage is worth just as much, point-for-point, as a 7-question one. That’s why you can’t afford to prioritize based on quantity. Instead, focus on maintaining a steady rhythm, reading each passage with intent, and answering questions efficiently—regardless of how many follow.

The AAMC deliberately varies the number of questions to reflect the kind of unpredictability you'll face in real-world clinical reasoning. Your ability to adapt, stay composed, and make thoughtful decisions even when the format shifts is part of what the CARS section is designed to measure.

VI. How to Improve Your CARS Timing?

Improving your timing on the MCAT CARS section isn’t about reading faster—it’s about reading smarter. To finish all 9 passages and 53 questions within the 90-minute limit, you’ll need to develop a strategy that’s both efficient and adaptable. Here’s how to sharpen your timing without sacrificing comprehension or accuracy:

1. Track Your Timing to Spot Patterns
   Start by using a stopwatch during practice—not just a countdown timer. Track how much time you spend on each passage and each set of questions. Are you losing time during reading? Overthinking answer choices? These insights help you target specific weaknesses instead of guessing what’s slowing you down.
2. Build a Consistent Passage Routine
   Aim to spend around 10 minutes per passage, divided between 4–5 minutes of reading and 5–6 minutes of answering questions. While this will vary slightly with passage difficulty, building a baseline rhythm helps prevent you from falling behind early and scrambling to catch up later.
3. Stop Re-Reading Entire Passages
   One of the biggest time-killers in CARS is going back to re-read entire paragraphs—or even whole passages—when you’re unsure of an answer. Instead, practice returning only to key lines or transition points. Active reading and light annotation on your first read-through can make this much easier.
4. Know When to Move On
   If you’re stuck between two answer choices and it’s been more than a minute, choose the best option, flag it, and move forward. Time is precious, and lingering on one question can hurt your performance across the section.
5. Train Your Endurance
   CARS appears after the first science section on the MCAT, meaning mental fatigue is real by the time you reach it. The best way to prepare? Simulate test-day conditions by doing full CARS sections after studying or completing another section. You’ll build the stamina needed to stay sharp and on pace when it counts most.
6. Make Review Part of Your Timing Strategy
   After each timed session, don’t just check which answers were right or wrong—review how your time was spent. Did rushing lead to mistakes? Did you slow down too much on a dense passage? The best improvements come not from doing more passages, but from understanding how your approach affects both speed and accuracy.

VII. Practicing with MCAT CARS Tests

Effective preparation for the MCAT CARS section goes beyond skimming articles or completing a few untimed passages. To truly improve your CARS score, you need to simulate the real MCAT exam environment using high-quality practice tests that mirror the actual content, timing, and complexity of the test.

Regularly taking full-length CARS practice exams helps build the reading endurance required to tackle all nine passages in 90 minutes. It trains you to think critically under pressure, improves your reading speed, and helps you fine-tune your ability to identify main ideas, avoid wrong answers, and confidently navigate passage-based questions. You’ll also become more familiar with question patterns and learn how to better manage your pacing and mental stamina for test day. 

To get the most out of your prep, choose resources that reflect the actual exam's style and complexity. That’s why top scorers trust CARSBooster. Start strengthening your strategy and confidence with realistic MCAT CARS practice tests at CARSBooster.