Clock Reasoning
Clock reasoning questions ask for the angle between a clock’s hour and minute hands at a specific time. The minute hand moves 6° per minute, and the hour hand moves 30° per hour plus an extra 0.5° for each minute past the hour — accounting for that extra hour-hand movement is the key insight.
Common patterns
- Exact hour times, where the calculation simplifies to a round number
- Times with minutes, requiring the full formula for both hands
- Recognizing when the larger of two possible angles should be subtracted from 360°
Worked example
Question: What is the angle between the hands at 3:00?
Answer: 90°
At 3:00 the hands are a quarter of the way around the clock apart: 90°.
How to approach Clock Reasoning
Identify the information given, test the simplest consistent rule, and verify that your rule explains every relevant part before answering.