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The National Pastai Association offers the following guidelines to guage how much pasta to use: 2 oz. of dry spaghetti = a bunch with diameter of a quarter (a Singapore 20-cent coin) = 1 cup cooked pasta.

Fill a pot (or saucepan) with water up to 3/4 full. Bring the water to a vigorous boil before adding salt. Salti will raise the boiling point of the water, so if added too early, it takes a longer time for the water to boil.

Put the lid on the pot when you are getting the water to boil, so that the water can boil faster. A watched pot never boils, so refrain from lifting up the lid too many times to check if the water is boiled. Remove the lid when you are cooking the pasta or you will get a starchy overflow of pasta water onto your stove.

Thin spaghetti needs about 6-7 minutes from the time the water starts boiling.
Thick spaghetti needs about 9-10 minutes.
Buy pasta that comes with cooking instructions on the package.

Add some oil to the saucepan of boiling water and use a pair of tongs to toss once in a while to prevent the pasta from sticking.

Transfer the spaghetti to a plate, or shock them in cold water to stop the cooking process.
Do not be anxious to throw away the pasta water quickly as you may need them later, if your pasta appears too dry when mixing with the ingredients or sauces.

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