What is the multiplication tables check?

At the end of Year 4, all pupils in maintained schools, special schools or academies (including free schools) in England are required to take the multiplication tables check.

Having only launched in 2022, this statutory test is a relatively new addition to the range of primary-level assessments, so here we’ll try and shed some light on what it entails. 

What is the multiplication tables check?

The multiplication tables check (MTC) is a short computer-based test that aims to determine whether pupils can recall their two to 12 times tables “fluently”. The first MTC tests were rolled out to schools in 2021-22, having been delayed because of the pandemic.

Pupils perform the MTC online where they must answer 25 multiplication questions. Pupils have six seconds to answer each question with a three-second pause between each question. Given this, the test should last no longer than five minutes for each pupil.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) says the six-second time limit was informed by research that it carried out during a trial with 1,124 pupils where three different time limits were trialled.

From this, six seconds was deemed the most appropriate time to allow children to recall and input their responses without allowing enough time to work out the answer.

Other key aspects of the MTC are:

• The test is hosted online, so schools must use a tablet or computer with internet access to conduct the test.
• The questions appear one at a time, with a single question and a box for the pupil to input their answer using either a keyboard or a touchscreen device.
• Pupils cannot use calculators or any writing implements.
• Schools can “test drive” the computer program with pupils before they take the test to ensure they are familiar with the software.

When is the multiplication tables check 2025? 

Schools must administer the MTC to all eligible Year 4 pupils during the two-week period beginning Monday 2 June.  

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Is there a pass mark for the multiplication tables check?

No, the MTC does not have any pass mark.

School-level results and individual pupil results will be made available to schools, which should enable them to identify any areas where pupils would benefit from further times-table support.

However, data from the tests is not used to inform league tables and it is not broken down by school in the public domain.

What is considered a good score?

There has only been one set of national-level data released for the MTC so far, so there is little in the way of benchmarking around what constitutes a good or average score.

However, the first year of MTC results showed that the most common score was a full 25 out of 25 and the average score across all pupil types was 19.8. From this data, it was also revealed that 18 per cent of disadvantaged pupils scored full marks compared with 30 per cent of non-disadvantaged pupils.

Meanwhile, the most common score for girls and boys was full marks - although more boys (28 per cent) scored this compared with girls (25 per cent). The average score for boys was slightly higher at 20 compared with 19.6 for girls.

When do the results come out?

The next set of national attainment data for the MTC will be released on 21 November 2024. The last set of MTC attainment data was published on 23 November 2023.

• Read more: Why schools must look beyond ‘simplistic’ MTC data

Do schools have to share results with parents?

The Department for Education makes clear it does expect schools to share a pupil’s result with parents, similar to other national assessments.

Parents are not expected or required to do anything additional to prepare their child for the check, although the DfE states that as part of “usual practice, teachers may ask [parents] to practise times tables with [their] child”.

Which questions are the most common?

Information from the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) explains that while no questions from the one times table are asked, there is an emphasis on the six, seven, eight, nine and 12 times tables because, it states, “these have been determined to be the most difficult multiplication tables”.

The table below shows the minimum and maximum number of times pupils can be asked a question from each different times table.

How can staff help pupils prepare for the test?  

Find a range of multiplication tables check teaching resources designed to help pupils prepare for the test.   

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