How to Solve a Rubik's Cube Faster: Road to Sub-30

First: time yourself the right way

To get faster, you need to know where you are now. A single solve tells you very little: sometimes you get an easy scramble, sometimes a hard one, sometimes your hands shake. That is why cubers use an average.

What is ao5?

Ao5 (average of 5) is the average of 5 solves, but you drop the fastest and the slowest one and take the average of the 3 that are left. This is also how the official 3x3 result is worked out at WCA competitions: each person gets 5 attempts, the best and worst are dropped, and the middle 3 are averaged (WCA Regulations, 9f8).

For example, say your 5 solves are:

Ao5 = (32.15 + 35.02 + 29.87) / 3 = 32.35 seconds. WCA rules round averages to the hundredth of a second (WCA Regulations, 9f1).

If one solve is a DNF (did not finish), it counts as the worst solve and gets dropped. With two or more DNFs, the whole ao5 is a DNF (WCA Regulations, 9f9).

Ao12 and longer averages

According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, an average of many solves drops the fastest 5% and the slowest 5% of the solves, rounded up (SpeedSolving Wiki). In practice:

• Ao12: drop the 1 fastest and the 1 slowest solve, then average the other 10.
• Ao50: drop 3 solves at each end.
• Ao100: drop 5 solves at each end.

Our tip: use ao12 as your main measure when you practise at home. It is long enough that one lucky solve will not fool you, but short enough to finish in one practice session. When this post says "under 30 seconds", it means an ao12 under 30 seconds, not one lucky solve.

The EasyRubic 3x3 timer page gives you scrambles and times each solve.

The plan, one time goal at a time

The goals below are how we split the road for beginners, not anyone's official rules. Each goal has one main thing to practise. Once you have that down, your times usually drop on their own.

Over 2 minutes: solve without looking at the guide

If you still need to open the guide halfway through, that is where you lose the most time. Go back over the 3x3 guide until you can solve the whole cube without stopping to remember the next step.

The step that makes beginners pause most is putting the layer 2 (the middle layer) edges in place:

Goal for this stage: 5 solves in a row without looking at anything. Do not worry about speed yet.

From 1 to 2 minutes: finger tricks and fewer pauses

By now you remember all the steps. Most of your time goes in two places: slow hands, and the pauses while you look for the next piece.

For your hands, get the hang of finger tricks: turn with your fingertips instead of your whole hand. The first drill is R U R' U', done smoothly without letting go of the cube. Do it six times in a row and a solved cube comes back to solved (checked on the simulator), so you can check for yourself whether you made a mistake.

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

For the pauses: after each practice session, think back to which step you paused at the longest. Usually it is finding a white corner (step 2) or a layer 2 edge (step 3). The "Look-ahead" section below explains how to pause less.

From 1 minute to 45 seconds: cross on the bottom

The beginner guide makes the white cross on the top face, then flips the cube over. Fast cubers build the cross straight on the bottom face. The SpeedSolving Wiki explains that most cubers recommend doing the cross on the bottom, because you can see the pieces you need for the next step more clearly, and you do not waste time flipping the cube (SpeedSolving Wiki).

It will feel hard at first, because you cannot see the white face. The trick is to look at the white edges from the side faces. Here are the two easiest cases, with white on the bottom:

The edge is in the top layer, right above the centre of the same colour, with its white sticker facing up. Turn that face twice: F2.

The edge is in the top layer, above the front face, but its side colour matches the right face. Move it over to the right first, then turn the right face twice: U' R2.

The U' move matters: it brings the edge right above its spot before you turn it down, so it does not mess up the white pieces already on the bottom.

According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, the cross can always be done in 8 moves or fewer (SpeedSolving Wiki). J Perm writes that with lots of practice the cross can take under 5 seconds (J Perm). Every case has pictures in the post How to do the CFOP cross.

From 45 to 30 seconds: a shorter last layer, then F2L

At this point the beginner method starts to hold you back: layer 3 (the top layer) takes four steps (steps 4 to 7), and many algorithms have to be repeated several times.

J Perm recommends tackling the last layer first, then F2L, and leaving cross improvements for later (J Perm):

1. 2-look OLL: make the yellow face in at most two steps, with 3 algorithms for the edges and 7 for the corners. See the post 2-look OLL.
2. 2-look PLL: put the last layer pieces in their right places in at most two steps, with 2 algorithms for the corners and 4 for the edges. See the post 2-look PLL.
3. Intuitive F2L: pair a corner with an edge and put them in together, instead of steps 2 and 3 of the guide. J Perm estimates this saves about 20 moves per solve. See the post Intuitive F2L.

Two algorithms you already know from the guide are also part of 2-look OLL and 2-look PLL: Sune (step 5) and the algorithm that swaps three yellow edges (step 7). So before picking up any new algorithms, get these two really fast.

Sune, yellow face on top: R U R' U R U2 R'

Swap three yellow edges, yellow face on top: R U' R U R U R U' R' U' R2

Drill: do Sune six times in a row on a solved cube and it comes back to solved. For the edge algorithm, three times in a row brings it back. Both were checked on the simulator. Time each round, then try to make the next one faster without mistakes.

Do not take on everything at once. J Perm warns that cramming too many algorithms at once makes you forget them (J Perm). Pick up one or two algorithms, use them in real solves for a few days, then move on to the next.

And do not give up when you switch to F2L: J Perm writes that it may feel slower at first, but it gets much faster once you are used to it.

Look-ahead: spotting the next piece early

The SpeedSolving Wiki calls look-ahead "the art of seeing what is coming": while you are doing one step, you are already finding the pieces you need for the next one. Cubers with good look-ahead solve with almost no pauses, and that is why they are fast (SpeedSolving Wiki).

Here is an example with step 3 of the guide. You are doing the algorithm that puts a layer 2 edge in on the right, with the yellow face on top:

U R U' R' U' F' U F

You already know this algorithm by heart, so your hands can do it without thinking. So while your hands work, do not watch the edge you are putting in. Look at the top layer and find the next edge without yellow on it. When the algorithm ends, you already know how many U turns to do and whether to use the left or the right algorithm.

The simplest way to practise: solve more slowly. Solve the whole cube at a speed where your hands never have to stop, however slow that is. Your times will be worse at first. But once you are used to looking ahead, you can speed up bit by bit and still keep a smooth, pause-free rhythm.

A sample 20-minute practice session

Here is the session we suggest, so you have a clear plan instead of just solving over and over:

Pictures for the two warm-ups:

1. You start with (input)
3. After the formula

Write down your ao12 every day. Look at the week, not each day: some days you will be slower than the day before, and that is normal.

The cube and everything outside your hands

• A good cube really helps. A stiff cube that catches a lot will ruin your finger tricks. If your cube is old, see the post Which Rubik's Cube to buy as a beginner.
• Inspect before you solve. At WCA competitions you get under 15 seconds to inspect the cube before you start. Go over 15 seconds and you get a 2-second penalty; go over 17 seconds and that attempt is a DNF (WCA Regulations, A3a1 and A4d). When you practise at home, use that time to plan your cross.
• Competing. Once your ao12 is steady, going to a WCA competition is a great way to get an official result. See the post WCA Rubik's Cube competitions.

Mistakes that make you stall

• Solving over and over without knowing which step is slow. Every now and then, time each step on its own.
• Picking up new algorithms too early. If you still have to think about the old ones, new ones just add more places to pause.
• Going all-out on every solve. When your hands are faster than your eyes, you get long pauses. Mix in some slow solves.
• Looking at single solves instead of the average. One 25-second solve does not mean you are sub-30. Only your ao12 can tell you that.

To understand the fast method this post leads to, read What is CFOP.

Sources

• WCA Regulations (World Cube Association)
• Average (SpeedSolving.com Wiki)
• Lookahead (SpeedSolving.com Wiki)
• Cross (SpeedSolving.com Wiki)
• CFOP Method – J Perm