2To examine the applicability of an isotache model, two types of consolidation test were carried out: constant rate of strain (CRS) by changing the strain rate during the test, and an incremental loading (IL) test with small incremental ratios. It is found from the CRS tests that the stress shift caused by the strain rate change is nearly the same for all tested soils, but the behaviour after the change is different: some soils do not follow the isotache model. After selecting two typical soils (one follows the isotache model and the other does not), IL tests with various increment ratios and different durations at the loading stage prior to the incremental load were carried out to investigate how these parameters affect the strain-time relation. It is revealed that the strain-time relation is strongly governed by the magnitude of stress increments; in cases of small increments, most of the settlement is generated after the end of the primary consolidation. It is found that most test results can be interpreted by the isotache model. However, when the load duration at the loading stage prior to the incremental load is longer, the time-strain behaviour differs from that predicted by the isotache model.