How to explain match analogue and digital clocks: to five minutes in time to your student. Example question
31 October 2026
Matching analogue and digital clocks is an important skill for children preparing for the 11+. It helps them recognise time in different formats, which is useful both in school and in daily life.
Look at the analogue clock. What time does it show? Write the time on the digital clock.
Step 1: Check the hour hand (short hand). It is pointing just after 3. So, the hour is 3.
Step 2: Look at the minute hand (long hand). It is pointing at the 2. Each number on the clock means 5 minutes. So, 2 × 5 = 10 minutes.
Step 3: Write the time on the digital clock as 3:10.
The correct answer is 3:10.
After seeing this example, your child should be able to spot the hour and minute hands on an analogue clock and write the matching time on a digital clock to the nearest five minutes. They can now try similar questions to build confidence with this type of time problem.
