Time word problems ask three kinds of question: what time does it end, how long does it last, and what time did it start? On these worksheets each story has a clock showing the start time (or the finish time, when children must work backwards), so children can count on or back around the clock face.
What is on these worksheets
Hours and half hours: stories that start on the hour or half hour and last 30 minutes to 2 and a half hours. A gentle start for grade 2 and 3.
Elapsed time to 5 minutes: start times in 5-minute steps and activities that last less than an hour.
Elapsed time over an hour: activities that last between 1 hour 5 minutes and 2 hours 15 minutes, so children cross one or two hours.
Each sheet has six problems with a clock beside every story, and page 2 is the answer key. The problems follow Common Core standard 3.MD.A.1 (time intervals in minutes) and 4.MD.A.2 (word problems involving time).
How to solve elapsed time word problems
Find the start time on the clock. Say it out loud: “5:40”.
Jump to the next hour first. From 5:40, it is 20 minutes to 6:00.
Jump in whole hours. Then add any whole hours that are left.
Add the last minutes. Finish with the minutes that remain, and check the answer is a sensible time.
A simple time line helps: draw a line, mark the start time, and show each jump above it with the number of minutes.
A worked example
“Sam starts baking cookies at 5:40. It lasts 1 hr 50 min. What time does it end?”
From 5:40, jump 20 minutes to 6:00. That leaves 1 hr 30 min. Jump 1 hour to 7:00, then 30 minutes to 7:30. Baking ends at 7:30.
Common mistakes
Treating time like normal numbers. 5:40 + 30 minutes is 6:10, not 5:70. There are 60 minutes in an hour, not 100.
Mixing up the question. Underline whether the story asks for an end time, a start time or an amount of time.
A time line turns every time word problem into a few easy jumps. These pictures show the three question types from Common Core standard 3.MD.A.1, with the hour as the stepping stone.
Finding the end time: from 9:45 jump to 10:00, then 1 hour, then 10 minutes. The train arrives at 11:10.Finding the start time: count back from 5:30, first 1 hour to 4:30, then 15 minutes to 4:15.Crossing noon: jump to 11:00, then 2 hours to 1:00 p.m., then 5 minutes. The trip takes 2 hours 15 minutes.
10 more time word problems with answers
These problems mix all three question types: finding the end time, the start time and how long something lasts. The last few cross noon or midnight.
Read each problem aloud or let your child read it, then check the answer below it. To print the problems as a quiz, with or without the answers, use the print buttons on this page.
A swim class starts at 3:00 and lasts 45 minutes. What time does it end? Answer: 3:45
Lunch starts at 11:30 and ends at 12:10. How long is lunch? Answer: 40 minutes (30 minutes to 12:00, then 10 more)
A movie ends at 8:20. It lasted 2 hours. What time did it start? Answer: 6:20
Mia reads from 7:10 to 7:55. How many minutes does she read? Answer: 45 minutes
A train leaves at 9:45 and the trip takes 1 hour 25 minutes. What time does it arrive? Answer: 11:10 (15 minutes to 10:00, 1 hour to 11:00, then 10 more minutes)
Soccer practice ends at 5:30. It lasted 1 hour 15 minutes. What time did it start? Answer: 4:15
Sam starts his homework at 4:35 and finishes at 5:25. How long does it take? Answer: 50 minutes (25 minutes to 5:00, then 25 more)
A bus leaves at 10:50 a.m. and arrives at 1:05 p.m. How long is the trip? Answer: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ella goes to sleep at 8:30 p.m. and wakes up at 7:00 a.m. How long does she sleep? Answer: 10 hours 30 minutes
A cake bakes for 35 minutes and then cools for 20 minutes. It goes in the oven at 2:40. What time is it ready to eat? Answer: 3:35 (35 + 20 = 55 minutes after 2:40)
The three kinds of time word problems
The question asks for
You know
What to do
Example
The end time
Start time and how long
Count on from the start
9:45 + 1 hr 25 min = 11:10
How long it lasts
Start time and end time
Count up from the start to the end, adding the jumps
4:35 to 5:25 = 25 + 25 = 50 minutes
The start time
End time and how long
Count back from the end
5:30 − 1 hr 15 min = 4:15
Problems that cross noon or midnight
When a story goes from a.m. to p.m., jump to 12:00 first, because the clock starts again at 1 after 12. For 10:50 a.m. to 1:05 p.m.: 10:50 to 11:00 is 10 minutes, 11:00 to 1:00 is 2 hours, and 1:00 to 1:05 is 5 minutes, so the trip is 2 hours 15 minutes. Many children subtract 10:50 from 1:05 and get a nonsense answer, so the time line is worth drawing every time.
Minutes
Hours and minutes
Name
15
0 hr 15 min
Quarter of an hour
30
0 hr 30 min
Half an hour
45
0 hr 45 min
Three quarters of an hour
90
1 hr 30 min
An hour and a half
150
2 hr 30 min
Two and a half hours
Frequently asked questions
4 quick answers
What is an elapsed time word problem?
It is a story where you work out how much time passes between two times, or find a start or end time when you know how long something lasts.
What grade learns elapsed time?
Elapsed time in minutes is a grade 3 standard (3.MD.A.1). Grade 4 extends it to longer times and to word problems with hours and minutes (4.MD.A.2).
What is the easiest way to work out elapsed time?
Count on to the next hour, then jump in whole hours, then add the remaining minutes. A number line or clock makes each jump easy to see.
Which of the elapsed time worksheets should a child start with?
Start with hours and half hours, where stories begin on the hour or half hour and last from 30 minutes to two and a half hours. Then move to start times in 5-minute steps, and finish with activities that last more than an hour.
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