Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence. “It is time w…

The correct answer is Option (3) → He said that it was time they began planning for their examinations.

"It is time" in indirect speech:

Change	Direct	Indirect	Why
Joining word	" " (quotation marks)	that	"Said" has no listener here, so it stays "said". "That" joins the statement.
Tense change	It is time	it was time	"Said" is past, so the simple present "is" becomes the simple past "was". The verb "be" in the simple present is am / is / are. The verb "be" in the simple past is was / were.
Tense kept	we began	they began	After "it is time", we always use a past form like "began", even though it is about now. So "began" does not change.
Pronoun change	we, our	they, their	The speaker meant himself and his group. So "we" becomes "they" and "our" becomes "their".
Full sentence	"It is time we began planning for our examinations," he said.	He said that it was time they began planning for their examinations.

"It is time we began" means that we should start now. The same fixed past stays after "I wish" and "as if". Example: Mother said, "It is time you went to bed." → Mother said that it was time I went to bed.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: He told that it was time they began planning for their examinations. — Incorrect. "Told" needs a listener after it, like "told us". With no listener, the verb stays "said".

Option 2: He told that, that was the time they began planning for their examinations. — Incorrect. "That was the time they began" tells when they started. The speaker meant that they should start now.

Option 4: He said that it was time that they begun planned for their examinations. — Incorrect. "Begun" is used only after "has" or "had". "They begun planned" should be "they began planning".