Multiplication tables check practice
25 questions set out like the real Year 4 check: typed answers, one at a time, no going back. Practise at your own pace, or with 6 seconds a question like the real thing.
Practise the check
3 practice questions, then 25 times tables questions. Type each answer on the number pad or the keyboard.
Practise with Thena: she sets your child the check whenever they like, then goes over every fact they miss, out loud on her board. Try 3 lessons free
What is the multiplication tables check?
A short online check of times tables that every Year 4 child in England takes, to see how many facts they can recall straight away.
- Who takes it
- Every Year 4 child in England, in June. It has been statutory since 2022.
- What it asks
- 25 multiplication questions from the 2 to 12 times tables. No division, and nothing from the 1 times table.
- How long
- 6 seconds to answer each question, then a 3-second pause before the next. Three practice questions come first. The whole check takes under 5 minutes.
- How it’s answered
- On a computer or tablet, typing on a number pad or keyboard. Each question comes once, with no going back.
- Which tables most
- The 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables come up more often. A pair is only asked one way round: if 6 × 8 is in, 8 × 6 isn’t.
- The result
- A score out of 25 for the school. There’s no pass mark: it shows who needs more help with their tables.
How to get ready at home
A few minutes a day
Five minutes most days does more than an hour the week before. Short, regular practice is how facts move from working out to remembering.
Remember, don’t count
6 seconds is time to remember a fact, not to count up to it. The facts your child still counts up to are the ones to practise: learn a trick for each, then play until it’s instant.
Spend longest on the hard tables
The 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 12s come up most. Each has its own page here with a chart, its tricks and a game that only asks that table.
Practise typing answers
The check wants answers typed. In The Labyrinth every answer is typed on a number pad, with no clock.
Keep it calm
There’s no pass mark, and a relaxed child remembers more. Talk about it as a chance to show what they know.
Practise one table
Each table has its own chart, tricks and a game where every question uses it.
Next: the Year 6 SATs
In Year 6, children in England sit the SATs: three maths papers, reading, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Each paper has a free practice paper here.
Questions about the check
When is the multiplication tables check?
In June of Year 4, during a window the Department for Education sets each year. Your child’s school chooses the day within it.
Is there a pass mark?
No. Each child gets a score out of 25, which schools use to see who needs more help with their times tables. Results are published for England and for each local authority, not for individual schools.
Which times tables are in it?
The 2 to 12 times tables, multiplication only. The 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables come up most often, and there are no questions on the 1 times table.
What happens if time runs out?
After 6 seconds the check moves on, and whatever has been typed is marked. Only the last answer typed counts, so a child can rub out and change it within the time.
Is this practice the same as the real check?
It’s set out the same way: 3 practice questions, then 25 typed answers one at a time, the same mix of tables, and an optional 6-second clock with the 3-second pause. It isn’t the official check, and the questions are new every time.
What if my child panics with a clock?
Start at your own pace, with no clock at all. Once the facts come without counting, the 6 seconds feels long. Children who need them can have access arrangements in the real check, such as a Next button instead of the pause: ask your child’s school.
Stuck on the 7s?
Thena teaches the times tables on her board, out loud, the way their school does, until they click.
Try 3 lessons free