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Measurement · Grade 3

Elapsed Time Word Problems Worksheets

Decide whether you need a length of time or a clock time. Use jumps in minutes to connect the start and finish.

6 problemsAnswer key includedFree printableA4 & US Letter
Generate & printSee the worked example

Clock time and elapsed time answer different questions

A clock time names a moment, such as 9:15 a.m. Elapsed time tells how many minutes pass between two moments. Read the question before calculating so you know which kind of answer to give.

Find how many minutes pass

Start at 8:45 a.m. and finish at 9:12 a.m. Jump 15 minutes to 9:00, then 12 more minutes to 9:12. Add the jumps: 15 + 12 = 27 minutes.

8:45 → 9:00 → 9:12
+15 minutes, then +12 minutes
Elapsed time: 27 minutes

The hour has 60 minutes, not 100. Subtracting the clock digits as ordinary whole numbers would not measure the time correctly.

Find the finishing time

If work starts at 9:38 a.m. and lasts 35 minutes, add 22 minutes to reach 10:00. There are 13 minutes left because 35 − 22 = 13. The finishing time is 10:13 a.m.

Find the starting time

If an activity finishes at 10:05 a.m. after 28 minutes, move backward 5 minutes to 10:00, then 23 more minutes to 9:37. Check by counting forward 28 minutes from 9:37 to 10:05.

If a child subtracts the smaller minute digits from the larger: return to the direction of time. From 8:50 to 9:10, ten minutes reach 9:00 and another ten reach 9:10. The elapsed time is 20 minutes, not 40.

Label the answer

For “How many minutes?” write a number in the box next to minutes. For a starting or finishing time, write the hour, a colon, two minute digits, and a.m. For example, five minutes after nine is 9:05 a.m., not 9:5.

Check all three facts

The start, duration, and finish must agree. Adding the duration to the start should give the finish; subtracting it from the finish should give the start. A sketch of a time line can make the jumps easier to track.

About this practice

Each sheet reuses six original word problems: two ask for elapsed minutes, two for the finishing time, and two for the starting time. Starts are between 8:00 and 9:59 a.m., and durations are 1 through 89 minutes. All events remain in the same morning.

This activity does not assess reading analog clock faces, crossing noon or midnight, or elapsed time across different days. The working space is for a time line or calculation; a particular hour-crossing case is not guaranteed in each set.

Make a practice set

Choose what to print. Selecting both shows the answer key on screen and prints the questions followed by the answers.

Print materials

After the practice

Choose one answer and check it in the opposite direction. Ask whether the answer describes a moment or a number of minutes.

More about measurement · Grade 3 worksheets

Grade 3 selected skill connection: 3.MD.A.1. See the Common Core grade guidance. This worksheet does not cover every requirement in the standard.