4 min read
Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check Practice at Home
Short answer
The multiplication tables check is a statutory on-screen test for Year 4 pupils in England, taken in June. It has 25 questions from the 2 to 12 times tables, with 6 seconds to answer each. The best practice is 10 minutes a day of mixed, timed recall, focusing on the facts your child is slowest on.
The best multiplication tables check practice is short daily recall of mixed facts from the 2 to 12 times tables, building up to answering each one within a few seconds. Speed matters, because the check gives 6 seconds per question.
The check is taken by Year 4 pupils in England, who are usually eight or nine (the US equivalent is Grade 3). Below is how it works, what to practise and a term-by-term plan you can follow at home from autumn to June.
Key points
- The check has 25 on-screen questions, 6 seconds each, covering the 2 to 12 times tables.
- It is statutory for Year 4 pupils in England and takes place in June.
- Accuracy comes first; work on speed only once a fact is reliably correct.
- Practise facts in mixed order, not table by table, because that is how the check asks them.
- Give extra time to the 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 times tables, which children usually find hardest.
What is the Year 4 multiplication tables check?
The multiplication tables check (MTC) is a short statutory assessment for Year 4 pupils in England. According to the multiplication tables check assessment framework, pupils answer 25 multiplication questions on screen, with 6 seconds to answer each one, drawn from the 2 to 12 times tables. Schools administer it in June.
It reflects the national curriculum in England, which expects pupils to recall multiplication and division facts up to 12 × 12 by the end of Year 4. Its purpose is to show whether children can recall these facts fluently, so the school can see who needs more support.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who takes it | Year 4 pupils in England |
| When | June |
| Format | On-screen, answers typed in |
| Number of questions | 25 |
| Time per question | 6 seconds |
| Tables covered | 2 to 12 times tables |
How fast does my child need to be?
Six seconds includes reading the question and typing the answer, so in practice your child needs to know the answer almost instantly. A child who counts up in steps to reach 7 × 8 will often run out of time, even if they would get it right.
A useful home target is to answer a fact aloud within about three seconds. Test this gently: ask 10 mixed facts and count “one, two, three” in your head. Any fact that takes longer goes on a short list for the next week. Do not start timing until your child is getting the fact right consistently.
Which times tables should we practise most?
Most Year 4 children are secure on the 2, 5 and 10 times tables, which the curriculum introduces in Year 2, and on the 3, 4 and 8 times tables from Year 3. The facts that cause most trouble are usually in the 6, 7, 8 and 9 times tables, plus the 11 and 12 times tables, which are new in Year 4.
Use the turnaround rule to shrink the job. 7 × 12 is the same as 12 × 7, so once the smaller tables are secure, only a few facts in the 11 and 12 times tables are genuinely new. The 11 times table up to 11 × 9 follows an easy pattern (11, 22, 33 and so on); 11 × 11 = 121 and 11 × 12 = 132 need to be learned separately. For the 12 times table, children can use 10 times the number plus 2 times the number: 12 × 7 = 70 + 14 = 84.
| Table | Typical tricky facts | Helpful strategy |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 × 7, 6 × 8 | Double the 3 times table: 3 × 8 = 24, so 6 × 8 = 48 |
| 7 | 7 × 7, 7 × 8 | Learn as single facts; say them in full |
| 8 | 8 × 8, 8 × 7 | Double, double, double: 7 → 14 → 28 → 56 |
| 9 | 9 × 6, 9 × 7 | 10 times the number minus the number: 70 − 7 = 63 |
| 11 | 11 × 11, 11 × 12 | Learn 121 and 132 as facts |
| 12 | 12 × 7, 12 × 8, 12 × 12 | 10 times plus 2 times: 80 + 16 = 96 |
What does a good daily practice session look like?
Ten minutes a day, five days a week, is enough. Research on study techniques rates distributed practice, meaning practice spread over many short sessions, as highly effective, so daily sessions do more than a long weekend catch-up.
- 2 minutes: count in steps of the week’s focus table, forwards and backwards.
- 4 minutes: focus table facts in random order, said in full: “seven eights are fifty-six”.
- 3 minutes: mixed facts from all tables, as the check will ask them.
- 1 minute: note down any slow or wrong facts for tomorrow.
Practise this with a 12-week pack
Grade 3 (Year 4): 60 dated sheets with your child’s name, levelled by a quick check, with weekly answer keys. €19 once.
How should we prepare from autumn to June?
Spread preparation across the school year rather than cramming in May. The plan below assumes your child already knows the 2, 5 and 10 tables. Adjust the pace to your child: if a table is secure after a week, move on.
| Period | Focus | Weekly target |
|---|---|---|
| September to October | Secure 3, 4 and 8; start mixing | 20 mixed facts with no errors |
| November to December | 6 and 9 times tables | Focus facts answered within 5 seconds |
| January to February | 7 times table, then 11 | Mixed 2 to 11 facts within 4 seconds |
| March to April | 12 times table; review stubborn facts | All tables mixed within 3 to 4 seconds |
| May to June | Mixed practice only; short timed sets of 25 | Calm, accurate sets; no new material |
How can we practise without screens?
The check is on screen, but the recall it tests can be built on paper and out loud. Some typing practice in the final weeks helps, so the keypad is not a surprise, but the facts themselves are best learned away from a device.
- Card flip: take out the kings from a pack of cards, then turn over two cards and multiply; a jack counts as 11 and a queen as 12.
- 25 in a row: write 25 mixed facts on a sheet and see how many your child answers correctly in under three minutes.
- Car quiz: take turns asking facts; your child must say the whole fact back.
- Wall of slow facts: stick the three slowest facts on the fridge and replace them as they become quick.
Do printed worksheets help with the multiplication tables check?
Short, mixed worksheets help because they show which facts are still slow and give a record of progress over weeks. A sheet of 15 to 20 problems, marked together the same day, fits neatly into a 10-minute routine.
Pencilpace’s Grade 3 packs cover the 2 to 10 times tables and division facts, with table facts mixed back into most later sheets as review. They do not include the 11 and 12 times tables, so add separate practice for those using the strategies above. You can print the free sample sheet or see the skill list on the Grade 3 maths worksheets page. For a general routine, read how to practise times tables at home.
Questions
When is the Year 4 multiplication tables check?
The check takes place in June, during a window set each year by the Standards and Testing Agency. Your child’s school chooses the exact day within that window, and some schools spread pupils across several days. Ask the class teacher if you want to know the date, but avoid making it a big event at home, as calm daily practice matters more.
How many questions are in the multiplication tables check?
The check has 25 questions. Each question is a multiplication fact from the 2 to 12 times tables, shown on screen, and your child has 6 seconds to type the answer before the next question appears. The whole check usually takes only a few minutes, which is why fast, confident recall is so important.
Does the multiplication tables check include division?
The check itself asks multiplication questions. However, the national curriculum expects Year 4 pupils to recall division facts up to 12 × 12 as well, and knowing the inverse strengthens multiplication recall. Include a few division questions, such as “What is 56 divided by 8?”, in home practice so both directions become automatic.
What if my child is slow but accurate?
Slow but accurate is a good starting point. It means your child understands multiplication and needs more practice to move facts from working out to memory. Keep sessions short, focus on the five or six slowest facts each week, and use mixed order. Avoid heavy timing pressure, which can make anxious children slower rather than faster.
Do children in other parts of the UK take the check?
No. The multiplication tables check is statutory for Year 4 pupils in England only. Children in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow different curricula and assessments, although learning times tables to 12 × 12 is still valuable for them. Families outside the UK can use the same plan as general times tables practice for children aged eight or nine.
Should my child practise on a computer before the check?
A little on-screen practice in the final few weeks helps your child get used to typing answers quickly, but it is not where the learning happens. Recall is built by daily mixed practice in any form. Make sure your child can find number keys without searching, then return to paper and spoken practice for the facts themselves.
Sources
- Mathematics programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2, National curriculum in England (Department for Education, 2013)
- Multiplication tables check assessment framework (Standards and Testing Agency)
- Dunlosky et al. (2013), Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques, Psychological Science in the Public Interest
Try it at home
Print a free Grade 3 (Year 4) sheet with the answers on page 2, no email needed. If it suits your child, a 12-week pack gives you 60 dated sheets, one for every school day (€19, full refund within 14 days).