Stop timer from resetting when custom validation is not met.

Hi y’all, I have a survey where participants enter in ideas to a form with about 35 text entry boxes for 15-minutes. This timer is set up to count down from 15-minutes and move forward automatically once the timer reaches zero. I also have a custom validation set up where they must enter in at least 10 text boxes to continue on with the survey. However, the problem is if they enter in less than 10, the page stops them (good) but the timer starts over back at 15-minutes (bad) and they can’t move forward for another 15-minutes. How do I stop the timer from resetting when the custom validation is not met?