MULTIPLICATION TABLES CHECK
The Year 4 Times Tables Test and MathShed’s free practice simulator
Our Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check simulator is open for all children to use throughout the year for them to get ready for the real deal!
It has been modelled exactly on the formatting and other rules set out by the Department for Education with a friendlier, gamelike user interface, so children can play as comfortably and enjoyably as possible so they are well-prepared for success when the actual Year 4 Times Tables Test comes around.
For children, their teachers and parents, after every 25 question Year 4 MTC simulator game, children are shown results to see their average response time, how well they have done and which times tables facts they might still need to work on recalling. (If children are signed in, then they will also win points and honey pots in the same way as all other EdShed games!)
How is the Year 4 MTC simulator different from MathShed’s other times tables games?
MathShed already has many different times tables practice games, so what’s different about our Year 4 MTC simulator? To answer that it’s best to know a little bit more about the Year 4 MTC (or Year 4 Times Tables Test).
What is the Multiplication Tables Check?
The Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is an assessment that will be taken by key stage 2 pupils towards the end of their academic year in Year 4 (some time in June). It was supposed to take place for its first official year in 2020, but has been pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The MTC’s main purpose is to ensure that children manage to reach an expected standard in their times tables knowledge before they start Year 5 to help them progress in many different areas in their maths learning.
This Year 4 Times Tables Test is taken online. When taking their Year 4 MTC, pupils will be asked 25 questions on their times tables, ranging from their 2 times tables to their 12 times tables.
For each question, children are given a set time limit of 6 seconds with which to answer and are also given a short rest period of 3 seconds between each question.
As the table from the DfE above shows, they have decided to ask more questions about the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 times tables than others such as the 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 and 11 times tables that children generally master earlier in their learning. There are no questions on the 0 or 1 times tables either. Of course, our questions are generated with these rules in mind, so the experience is as close to the real Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check as possible.
To learn more about the Year 4 Times Tables Test and for a limited time period from Spring onwards to use the official simulator check out the DfE’s webpage for parents. If you are a teacher and wondering more about the specifics of administering the Year 4 MTC, check out the following guidance page.