Inspection is the short time before every solve at a WCA competition: you can pick the cube up and look at it, but you cannot turn any face. Beginners often use those 15 seconds just to glance at the cube and then start the timer. Fast solvers use them to work out the whole first step, so once the timer is running they never have to stop and think.
This post explains the WCA rules on inspection time, what you can and cannot do, and then shows how to split up the 15 seconds: pick your starting face, find a solution for the cross, and if there is time left, track your first F2L pair. There is a full worked example, and every move sequence in the post has been tested on the EasyRubic cube simulator.
What is the 15-second inspection?
According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, inspection is the time before each official solve when the solver can look at the cube and plan their first moves. Most unofficial events use it too (SpeedSolving Wiki).
The key thing is that inspection time does not count towards your result. Your time only starts when you lift your hands off the timer. So anything you can do with your eyes during inspection is worth doing then, leaving the timed part just for your hands.
WCA rules on inspection time
The points below come from the current WCA Regulations (WCA Regulations). The regulation numbers are in brackets so you can look them up.
How a solve goes
- You say you are ready. The judge lifts the cover off the cube and starts timing your inspection (A3b2).
- You have less than 15 seconds to inspect and start the solve (A3a1).
- Once 8 seconds have passed, the judge calls "8 SECONDS". Once 12 seconds have passed, the judge calls "12 SECONDS" (A3b3, A3b4).
- You put the cube down on the mat, place your fingers on the two timer sensors, then lift your hands. That starts the solve, and the judge stops timing inspection (A3b5, A4d).
What is the penalty for starting late?
| When you start the solve | Result |
|---|---|
| Under 15 seconds | Fine, no penalty |
| From exactly 15.00 to under 17 seconds | Plus 2 seconds (A4d1) |
| Exactly 17.00 seconds or more | DNF, the solve does not count (A4d2) |
Watch out: 15.00 seconds already gets a penalty. The regulations say clearly that inspecting for exactly 15.00 seconds still means +2 (A4d1+). In the same way, exactly 17.00 seconds is a DNF (A4d2+).
What you can and cannot do
- You can pick the cube up and turn the whole cube in your hands to see every face (A3c). Turning the whole cube is not a move.
- You cannot turn any face, not even nudging a face out of line on purpose to see better. Penalty: DNF (A3c1).
- If the faces are not lined up when the cover is lifted, you may straighten them (A3c2).
- When you start, your hands must not touch the cube, and the cube must sit fully on the mat, not leaning on the timer. Penalty: plus 2 seconds (A4b1, A3d).
- During inspection you may not talk to anyone except the judge, and nobody may help you. Penalty: DNF (A5a, A5b).
Blindfolded events have no inspection: the solve starts at the same moment as the attempt (B1a). Time spent memorising the cube counts towards your result.
To see how a whole competition day works, read WCA competitions. The competition timer and where to put your hands are covered in Stackmat timer.
What should you do in 15 seconds?
No rule says what you have to think about. The split below is EasyRubic's suggestion for CFOP solvers, based on advice from J Perm and the SpeedSolving Wiki. Adjust it to your own level.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 seconds | Turn the whole cube, find the edges of your cross colour |
| 2 to about 8 seconds | Find the whole cross solution, run through it once in your head |
| 8 to 12 seconds | If the cross is solid: work out where your first F2L pair will end up |
| When you hear "12 SECONDS" | Put the cube down in your starting orientation, start the timer |
The judge's "8 SECONDS" call is a handy reminder: if you still do not have a cross solution by then, forget about the F2L pair and focus only on finishing the cross.
Step 1: find the 4 cross edges
You do not need to look at the whole cube. You only need to spot where the 4 edges with your cross colour (usually white) are: top layer, middle layer or bottom layer, and which way the white sticker is facing. The CFOP cross post shows how to handle an edge in each position.
While you look, check whether any two edges are already in the right order with each other. Going round the bottom face, the correct order is green, orange, blue, red. Two edges that are already in order can go home together with a single D move.
Step 2: find the cross solution
J Perm says the cross can always be solved in 8 moves or fewer, and that good solutions come from seeing how the pieces affect each other, not from solving one piece at a time (J Perm).
In your head, go through the solution move by move and picture where each edge goes after every move. If it comes out longer than 8 moves, try starting with a different edge. Do not chase the shortest solution: a 7-move solution you are sure of beats a 6-move one you are not sure about.
Step 3: track your first F2L pair
J Perm calls predicting the first F2L pair during inspection a basic skill that solvers aiming for sub-15 often skip. It means you do not have to pause after the cross, and it makes look-ahead easier later on. The same page also admits this is one of the hardest skills, because 15 seconds is not much time (J Perm).
How to do it: pick a white corner that is easy to see, plus the middle-layer edge that goes with it, then ask yourself whether your cross solution moves those two pieces, and where they will be after the cross. If one of the two pieces is not touched by any cross move, predicting is much easier.
Example: 15 seconds of inspection on one scramble
Hold the cube the way it is scrambled at competitions: white on top, green in front, then do this scramble:
F2 D' B2 L2 U' R2 D L2 U R2 B' U2 R' D L' B F' U' R2
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The cube on the left is the scrambled cube, still with white on top; the cube on the right is the solved cube for comparison. Only the four white edges are coloured in, because those are the pieces you need to find first. The move sequence under the picture is the scramble written backwards, so you do not need to follow it.
When the judge lifts the cover, the first thing to do is flip the whole cube with z2 so white is on the bottom and green is still in front. Flipping the whole cube is allowed, because no face gets turned. Now orange is on the right, red is on the left and blue is at the back.
Seconds 0 to 2: where are the four white edges?
- White-green: top layer, on the top-left edge, white sticker facing left.
- White-blue: bottom face, under the back face, flipped (white sticker facing back).
- White-orange: bottom face, under the left face, white sticker facing down. Wrong spot: it belongs under the right face.
- White-red: bottom face, under the right face, flipped (white sticker facing right).
Three edges are already on the bottom face, but two of them are flipped and orange and red have swapped places. This cross is harder than usual.
Seconds 2 to 8: find the cross solution
A 7-move solution: R' D B' L D F' B. The EasyRubic simulator confirms that no white cross solution for this scramble is shorter than 7 moves.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The cube on the left is what you see after the z2 flip: only the four white edges and the centres are coloured in. The cube on the right is the result, flipped so white is on top so you can see the finished cross. In the first picture, the stickers on the bottom, left and back faces are hidden.
Quick tip: on the same scramble, the yellow cross only needs 6 moves (also according to the simulator). Someone who only solves on white will never spot this. The section on choosing a cross colour below says more.
Seconds 8 to 12: the first F2L pair
The cross is solid, so you have a few seconds left to find an F2L pair. Keep an eye on the white-blue-red corner and the blue-red edge. This pair belongs in the back-left slot. Once the cross is done, the corner is in the top layer, front left, with its white sticker facing the front; the edge sits right next to it, on the top-left edge. The two pieces are already side by side as a pair.
That pair goes into its slot in just 3 moves: B' U B. Because the slot is at the back, the picture below shows the cube turned with y2 so blue is in front. Held that way, the back-left slot becomes the front-right slot and the 3 moves above become F' U F.
See it in 3D, before and after
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
Both pictures keep white on the bottom, so the cross is on the bottom face and you only see its side stickers. The cube on the right shows the pair in the front-right slot (the back-left slot when you hold the cube the way you started).
When the timer starts
You put the cube down with white on the bottom and green in front, and you already have 10 moves in your head: 7 for the cross and 3 for the first pair. No pause after the cross.
One more thing to notice: the last move of the cross is B, and the first move of the pair is B'. These two moves cancel out, so the cross and the first pair together only need 8 moves: R' D B' L D F' U B. Solving the cross together with an F2L pair like this is called an x-cross.
- You start with (input)
- After the formula
The picture on the right is flipped again so white is on top: the cross is done, and the white-blue-red pair is in the right slot. Do not worry if you could not see this in 15 seconds. Finding the cross within 8 seconds is already a big step forward.
Choosing a cross colour: one colour or several?
According to the SpeedSolving Wiki, "color neutral" solvers can start with any colour, while "dual color neutral" solvers pick between two opposite colours (white and yellow). The wiki also notes that many top CFOP solvers have used just one cross colour so their F2L looks more familiar (SpeedSolving Wiki).
For beginners: stick to one colour (white) until a cross in under 8 moves is a habit. Only then try looking at yellow too during inspection. Checking two colours takes longer, but often gives you a shorter cross, like in the example above.
What should layer-by-layer beginners look at?
If you still solve with the layer-by-layer method, the white cross is usually built on the top face, one piece at a time. You can still put the 15 seconds to use:
- Find all 4 white edges and count how many are already on the top face.
- Pick your first edge and plan the moves that bring it home, then the second one.
- Put the cube down with white facing up, exactly how you plan to start.
The goal of this step in the EasyRubic guide:
- You start with (input)A scrambled cube
- Result you will get after finishing this stepWhite cross done
See how to place each piece in step 1 "White cross" or the post How to make the white cross. Once you are comfortable, move on to building the cross on the bottom face with the CFOP cross post.
How to practise inspection at home
- Inspect with no time limit. Scramble the cube, find the whole cross solution before touching any face, then do it without looking again. If the cross comes out right, your plan worked. J Perm also suggests practising untimed inspection and making yourself predict an F2L pair (J Perm).
- Write the solution down. Write out your cross solution, count the moves, and only then do it. This habit helps you "read" the cube faster.
- Cut the time down bit by bit. Once you get it right almost every time, switch on the 15-second inspection mode of the 3x3 timer on EasyRubic. The timer flags +2 or DNF automatically, just like at a competition. How to switch it on and use it is in the post how to time your solves online.
- Practise the F2L pair too. After the cross, before turning anything else, say out loud which pair you plan to solve. If you guessed where it would be, you are improving.
- Always practise with 15 seconds before a competition. If you get used to 30 seconds of inspection at home, it is easy to pick up a +2 at the competition.
Common mistakes
- Turning a face by accident. When picking the cube up, some people have a habit of testing a face. At a competition that is a DNF (A3c1). At home, practise holding the cube with your fingers wrapped around the whole thing.
- Inspecting until the last second. You need a second or two to put the cube down and place your hands on the timer. Wait until 14 seconds to put it down and you can easily hit the 15.00 mark.
- Hands still touching the cube when you start the timer. Put the cube down, let go fully, and only then put your hands on the timer, or you get plus 2 seconds (A4b1).
- A plan that is too long. Remembering the 8 cross moves is enough. Trying to also remember an F2L pair when the cross is not solid often makes you forget both.
- Putting the cube down the wrong way round. You planned the solution with white on the bottom and green in front, but picked it up in a different orientation. Before putting it down, check the front and top faces once more.
What's next
Once you can inspect the whole cross, you can try an X-cross: planning the first F2L pair together with the cross in 15 seconds. Looking ahead during the solve is covered in Rubik's Cube look-ahead, and a general practice plan is in How to get sub-20.
With the EasyRubic app, you can scan your real cube with the camera and see the solution step by step on a 3D cube. Get EasyRubic and practise inspection with the 15-second timer today.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Does the 15-second inspection count towards your solve time?
No. Your time only starts when you lift your hands off the timer. But if you start at 15 seconds or later you get plus 2 seconds, and at 17 seconds or later the solve is a DNF.
Can you turn the cube during inspection?
You can turn the whole cube in your hands to see every face. You cannot turn any face; if you do, the solve is a DNF (regulation A3c1 of the WCA Regulations).
Does the judge call out the time?
Yes. The judge calls "8 SECONDS" once 8 seconds have passed and "12 SECONDS" once 12 seconds have passed.
Which events have no inspection?
Blindfolded events: the timer runs from the very start, and time spent memorising the cube counts towards your result (regulation B1a).
What should a beginner do in 15 seconds?
Find all 4 white edges and plan the moves that bring the first one or two home. Once you are comfortable, try to find the whole cross solution before starting the timer.
This information is based on competition results owned and maintained by the World Cube Association, published at worldcubeassociation.org/results as of 15.10.2026.