40 minutes for 36 Reading questions is about 67 seconds each as a mean. That average includes the time you spend on the passage. Section clocks are in how long the ACT is.
Passage time is inside the average
You do not get 67 seconds after you finish reading. A four-passage section needs a passage budget, then a question budget. Math uses the same 67-second mean without a passage, in 67 seconds on Math.
English is tighter, in 42 seconds on English. If one passage is still unread with five minutes left, in five minutes left on Reading.
The bottom line
67 seconds is an average that includes reading. Do not time each question as if the passage were free.
Start practicing
Start with a free diagnostic, then drill your weak spots with 15-question quizzes and track how you're doing across Reading, English, and Math. Compare plans whenever you're ready to go further.
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