<p>Squirrel cage induction motors are widely used for rotational loads in industrial applications because they have high efficiency and durability. However, a major drawback of these induction motors is the significant voltage drop caused by high starting current during its starting, which can degrade the power quality for adjacent loads. This issue is particularly pronounced for high voltage large capacity induction motors, where starting methods such as reactor starting are often employed instead of direct starting. While the reactor starting method effectively reduces the high starting current temporarily, it can introduce challenges such as a momentary current spike when the reactor is bypassed, prolonged voltage drops duration and an extended time required to achieve the rated torque. When the induction motor is started by reactor starting method, it is very important to analyze not only the operating characteristics at the initial starting time but also the operating characteristics at the switching moment when the reactor is bypassed. Therefore, this paper presents the results of quantitative analysis of the operating characteristics, including transient current, transient torque, and transient time, according to the change in switching timing at which the reactor is bypassed when it is started by the reactor starting method and the results will contribute to select the optimal switching timing.</p>