Multiplication Tables Check: a parent’s guide

What is the check?

The Multiplication Tables Check is a statutory check for pupils in Year 4 in England, introduced to make sure children know their times tables by heart by the end of Year 4, as the National Curriculum expects. It became compulsory in the 2021 to 2022 school year, and schools give it in a window in June.

How it works

• 25 questions, all multiplication, from the 2 to the 12 times tables (no 1 times table).
• 6 seconds to answer each question, then a 3-second pause before the next.
• On a computer or tablet: your child types the answer with the keyboard or an on-screen number pad and presses Enter.
• A few practice questions first, so children know what to expect.
• No right or wrong is shown during the check: it moves straight on.
• Children who need them can have arrangements such as more time on each question or the questions read aloud.

25 questions · 6 seconds each

Which tables come up most?

Every table from 2 to 12 can come up, but the check is weighted towards the ones children find hardest: the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables appear more often. Each fact is asked only once (if 7 × 8 comes up, 8 × 7 won't).

So if your child is secure on the 2, 5 and 10 tables, the time is best spent on the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, and especially facts like 6 × 8, 7 × 8, 7 × 6, 8 × 12 and 9 × 7.

How to practise at home

1. Find the shaky facts. A quick mixed set shows which facts take more than a few seconds.
2. Practise those a little every day. Five to ten minutes is plenty. Spaced practice brings back the ones your child misses until they become quick.
3. Practise against the clock, but not too soon. Once your child knows the facts, a timed run at 6 seconds a question gets them used to the pace.
4. Use a number pad. Typing the answer quickly is part of the check, so practise in the same way.

Sum Rocket's Tables Check mode works just like the real check: 25 questions from the 2 to 12 tables, weighted to the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, 6 seconds each with a 3-second pause, a number pad, and no right or wrong until the end. Its everyday practice remembers the facts your child finds hard and brings them back.

Sources

The details above come from the Standards and Testing Agency's Multiplication tables check assessment framework and its guidance for schools on GOV.UK. Check the latest guidance there, as arrangements can change.