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Multiplication Tables Check

Taking the MTC soon? Are you ready?

Use our check to see how well you will do in the MTC.

Following all the rules of the MTC, our check gives you valuable information and guidance on how to improve.

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See If You're Ready

Our MTC will help you know how ready you are and how you can improve your result.

  • 25 questions per test
  • 6 seconds per question
  • Following Government specification
  • Guidance on where to spend time practising

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How can our Multiplication Tables Check help?

What is our Multiplication Tables Check?

Our Multiplication Tables Check follows the exact specification as laid out in the KS2 National Curriculum Assessments published by the Standards & Testing Agency.

There will be 25 questions with 6 seconds to answer and with a 3 second gap between questions. We also follow the exact specification on the minimum and maximum number of questions taken from each times table. (See What is the MTC? for more information.)

The check can be taken using a keyboard on a PC, using the mouse to click on the number pad, or using an i-pad or i-phone.

How can our Multiplication Tables Check help?

Designing a similar check means that children can become familiar with the layout and timing and gain confidence before taking the real check. They will also be able to find the quickest way of inputting answers and even try it on different devices.

However, we do not recommend taking this check too may times. It is hard, requires maximum concentration and tables really do need to be known ‘off by heart’.

Now we come to the important bit: the beauty of our check is that there is a detailed answer sheet which is printable and shows exactly which tables are known.

We analyse the results and give clear guidance as to which times tables your child need more practice with. Not only that, we give links to both on-screen tables practice and written worksheets which will help children to master the tables they are unsure of. These are much more fun, with ticks for correct answers, on-screen rewards and indeed, are much shorter.

Further thoughts

  1. This check will be really challenging, as the expected score is 25 out of 25 and time is extremely limited. Typing or any keyboard errors will be almost impossible to correct within the 6 second time limit.
  2. When looking at an answer sheet bear in mind that a child might have made a typing or input error. For example, if 10 x 6 is answered with 0 it probably means that the 6 has not been pressed correctly. There is little or no time for a child to correct this entry before the 6 seconds is up.
  3. From our extensive testing we have found that using the mouse to click on the on-screen number pad takes longer than other methods. Using a keyboard will often mean a child has to look from the screen to the keyboard and back to the screen to see that the answer has been entered correctly – all of this takes time and can be tiring. Using a touch screen seems to be the quickest way of answering.
  4. Children will need to know their tables ‘off by heart’. 6 seconds will not allow for a child to run through the table in their heads or count on using fingers. They will need to know that 7 x 8 is 56, answering just as quickly as if they had been asked their name!
  5. 25 questions is challenging in itself. Try the check yourself to see how long it appears to be! It is very easy for a child to ‘switch off’ for a second or two or still be thinking of the last question when the next one comes up.
  6. There are no rewards or clues as to how well you are doing as you go along and if children do not know their times tables it can be quite demoralising.

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Multiplication Tables Check (MTC)

What is the MTC?

The purpose of the MTC is to see whether children in Year 4 can fluently recall their multiplication tables. The Year 4 Programme of Study states:

‘Pupils should be taught to recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12’.

It will be an on-line, on-screen assessment which will take less than 5 minutes to complete. It will be automatically scored and results will be available to schools.

When will it be introduced?

The Multiplication Tables Check will be introduced for all schools in June 2020. All eligible children will be required to take the check.

There will be a 3 week window in which all schools must administer the check.

What will the check look like?

The check will consist of 25 questions worth one mark each. All questions will follow the same format:

n1 x n2 = ?

The first number (n1) denotes the table, so 4 x 11 would be considered as part of the 4x table.

n2 will be a number between 2 and 12.

Children will have 6 seconds to input an answer using one of:

  • the numbers on a computer keyboard
  • a mouse (or equivalent) and an on-screen number pad
  • a touch screen device and an on-screen number pad

Once a child has put in an answer they can press ENTER to proceed or wait until the 6 seconds expires.

There will be a 3 second pause before the next question is shown.

What questions are included in the check?

Each question will come from the 2 to 12 multiplication tables. The one multiplication table is not included in the check but may appear in the practice questions.

Each set of questions will include questions from all tables but with an emphasis on those tables taught in KS2 (fewer questions on the 2x, 5x and 10x tables).

The table below shows the minimum and maximum number of questions that can be taken from each times table.

Multiplication Table Minimum number of items in each check Maximum number of items in each check
2 0 2
3 1 3
4 1 3
5 1 3
6 2 4
7 2 4
8 2 4
9 2 4
10 0 2
11 1 3
12 2 4

From this it can be seen that there is an emphasis on the 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x and 12x tables – the hardest ones!

A question can only appear once in the check and reversals will not appear. This means that if 4 x 3 appears then 3 x 4 will not appear.

At the end of the assessment window, a total score out of 25 will be reported to each school for all of their pupils who took the check. Each pupil will only take the check once.

Any resources which may help a child, such as wall displays, calculators etc are not allowed.

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