Barely sufficient examination given minimal time (5)
I believe the answer is:
scant
'barely sufficient' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'examination given minimal time' is the wordplay.
'examination' becomes 'scan' (scan is a kind of examination**).
'given' says to put letters next to each other.
'minimal' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'time' is 't'.
'scan'+'t'='SCANT'
(Other definitions for scant that I've seen before include "Minimal (amount)" , "Bare" , "Limited, inadequate" , "In short supply" , "Hardly any" .)