Multiplication tables check practice

A free practice check in the same format as the Year 4 MTC in England: 25 times tables questions, 6 seconds to answer each one, then your score and the facts to work on.

What is the multiplication tables check?

The multiplication tables check (MTC) is an on-screen check that Year 4 pupils in England take in June. It shows schools which times tables each child can recall quickly, so they can help with the ones that aren't there yet.

What's in the check

• 25 questions, one mark each.
• Every question is a multiplication fact from the 2 to 12 times tables, written like 7 × 8 =. There's no division and no 1 times table.
• Pupils have 6 seconds to type each answer, then a 3-second pause before the next question.
• Whatever is in the answer box when the 6 seconds run out is the answer that's marked.
• More questions come from the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables, the hardest ones. There are at most 2 from the 2s and at most 2 from the 10s.
• One check never asks both 6 × 8 and 8 × 6.
• There's no pass mark, and children don't see their score during the check. Their teacher shares it with parents.

From the Standards and Testing Agency's guidance on the check.

How this practice check works

1. Press Start. Each question comes with a bar that runs down over 6 seconds.
2. Type the answer and press Enter. If time runs out first, whatever you've typed counts, like the real check.
3. After 25 questions you get your score out of 25 and the facts you missed, each with a link to its trick.
4. Every practice check is different, with the same mix of tables as the real one.

Printable practice checks

Three checks of 25 questions in the same mix, with the answers at the bottom. Allow about 2½ minutes for each, which is 6 seconds a question.

• Practice check A
• Practice check B
• Practice check C

How to practise for the MTC

1. Start with the 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 12s: between them they make up 10 to 20 of the 25 questions. Each has a trick: 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s, 12s.
2. Practise little and often. Five minutes a day does more than an hour once a week.
3. Aim to recall, not work out. At 6 seconds a question, counting up in 7s to get 7 × 8 runs out of time.
4. Take a practice check, then work on the tables of the facts you missed with the multiplication worksheets or the 1-minute multiplication test.

Common questions

When is the multiplication tables check?

In June of Year 4. Schools choose the days within a three-week window, so there's no single national test day.

What's a good score on the MTC?

There's no pass mark. 25 out of 25 means every fact came back within 6 seconds, and a lower score shows which tables need more practice.

Why 6 seconds?

The Standards and Testing Agency tried three time limits with over 1,000 pupils. Six seconds was enough to recall a fact and type it, but not enough to work it out by counting.

Does the MTC include division?

No, every question is multiplication. Division facts still help, though: knowing 56 ÷ 8 = 7 and 7 × 8 = 56 is knowing the same fact twice.