120 Minute Timer
A 120 minute timer counts down 7,200 seconds and sounds an alarm when it reaches zero. That is 2 hours, recorded as 2 hours on a timesheet.
A two hour timer is the length of a feature film, a standard exam paper and the longest block most people can work without a break.
Paused at 2:00:00
What a 120 minute timer is used for
Exams, film-length sessions and double work blocks.
- Exam papers
- Two hours is the most common length for a full paper at secondary and undergraduate level.
- Double deep work blocks
- Two hours covers a full ultradian cycle plus a second partial one, which is why it usually wants a break in the middle rather than at the end.
- Parking and meters
- Two hours is the most common maximum stay on a metered bay.
- Slow cooking
- Two hours is a standard braise at a low oven temperature.
Pacing a two hour exam
Spend the first few minutes reading the whole paper and deciding the order you will answer in. Share the time out by marks, and keep ten to fifteen minutes at the end for checking. Write the target finishing time for each section at the top of the page so you can see when you are drifting.
When you practise at home, stop at zero even if you are mid-answer. A two hour paper done in two sittings does not build the stamina the real one needs. If the two hours are for work rather than an exam, split them with a break around the ninety minute mark instead.
The 120 minute timer at a glance
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 2 hours |
| Seconds | 7,200 |
| Decimal hours | 2 |
| Clock format | 2:00 |
| In hours | 2 hours |
| Blocks per 8 hour day | 4 |
| Pomodoros (25 min each) | 4.8 |
| Break that pairs with it | 30 minutes |
| Decimal hours are rounded to two places, as payroll does. Block counts are whole blocks with no breaks between them. | |
For other lengths, use the minutes to decimal hours converter or the hours calculator.
Your focus time, counted and kept
A countdown tells you when the block ends. PomoTodo records that the block happened, which task it went to and what the week added up to, so a month of 120 minute blocks becomes something you can actually look at.
Free plan tracks unlimited focus time across unlimited tasks. No card required.
Timers either side of 2 hours
The next shortest timer on the site is 1 hour 30 minutes.
Questions about the 120 minute timer
Can I work for two hours without a break?
Some people can, most cannot hold quality throughout. Attention runs on roughly ninety minute cycles, so the last half hour of an unbroken two hour block is usually the weakest work of the session. Splitting it into two blocks with a break between them generally produces more.
Is two hours long enough to braise meat?
For many cuts at a low oven temperature, two hours is a starting point, but tougher cuts such as beef shin or short ribs often need three hours or more. The meat is done when it pulls apart easily with a fork, not when the timer rings.