Why a times table test works
Knowing your times tables by heart frees up your brain for the interesting part of maths. A child who has to count up to find 7 × 8 runs out of attention before the fraction, the area problem or the long division is finished. A child who just knows it is 56 keeps going.
Testing yourself is one of the best ways to make facts stick. Every time you pull an answer out of memory, it gets a little easier to find the next time — far more than reading the same chart again. Short, regular quizzes beat one long session, so five minutes a day is plenty.
How to play
- Pick your tables. Tables 1 to 10 are on to start. Tap a number to turn it off or on, or tap All to clear them and choose just one or two.
- Choose a level. Easy has no clock and goes up to × 10. Medium and Hard add a timer and bigger numbers. PRO goes up to × 20 with division and only five seconds a question.
- Choose how to answer. Choose gives you answers to pick from, Type it makes you recall it yourself, Time test gives you 60 seconds to answer as many as you can, and True or false asks you to spot the wrong sums.
- Press Start quiz. Fast answers and long streaks earn bonus points. At the end you will see your score, your accuracy and the facts that tripped you up.
- Practise the misses. Open the page for that table, work through the practice steps, then come back and beat your best.
How to print a quiz or save it as a PDF
- Scroll to Print a quiz and give your sheet a title.
- Choose the times tables, the number of questions, the question type and how high to multiply.
- Keep Add an answer key page ticked if you want the answers on a separate page for marking.
- Press Print or save as PDF. In the print dialog, pick your printer, or choose Save as PDF as the destination to keep a copy.
- Want a different set? Press New questions for a fresh random sheet with the same settings.
Teachers: printing several copies with New questions in between gives every pupil a different sheet, so there is no copying from a neighbour. The worksheet generator also makes full exams with word problems.
Five tips that actually help
- Little and often. Five minutes every day beats an hour on Sunday.
- Say it out loud. Hearing the fact as well as seeing it doubles the ways it is stored.
- Learn the facts in pairs. 3 × 8 and 8 × 3 are the same fact, so the 10 × 10 grid really has only 55 facts to learn, not 100.
- Target the tricky ones. Most children know 2 × 5 already. Spend the time on 6 × 7, 7 × 8 and 8 × 6.
- Race yourself, not others. Beating your own best score keeps it fun for everyone.