Speed comes from facts being automatic, not from a child working faster.
That distinction matters, because telling a child to hurry raises their error rate. Making recall instant does not.
What should be automatic
By the test, with no working:
- Times tables, to 12, in any order, including the division facts.
- Adding two-digit numbers in their head.
- Subtracting two-digit numbers in their head.
- Square numbers.
- Cube numbers.
- Prime numbers.
Those six are the floor. A child missing any of them is paying for it on every question that happens to contain one.
The facts beyond arithmetic
Recall is not only about numbers, and this part gets neglected.
| Also automatic | Why |
|---|---|
| Angle facts | On a line, round a point, in a triangle |
| Triangle properties | Which has equal sides, which has equal angles |
| Quadrilateral properties | Named, with their sides, angles and symmetry |
| A quick linear equation | Solved in one or two steps, in their head |
| Formulas | Area, perimeter, volume, averages |
A child who knows these answers the question. A child who derives them each time runs out of section.
Short tests: thirty in five
This is the format that builds it, and it is the thing I would actually set.
Thirty questions in five minutes. Short, mixed, mostly recall. Ten seconds a question, which is enough for a fact and not enough for a method.
That is the point. The clock does the teaching, because it makes the gap between known and worked-out obvious to the child as well as to you.
- Twice a week is plenty. It is five minutes.
- Mix the topics. A page of only tables does not transfer.
- Mark it together and note which ones needed working out.
- Re-set the same facts a week later. Repetition is the mechanism.
Speed without the errors going up
The failure mode is a child who gets quicker and less accurate. Watch for it, because it is easy to mistake for progress.
- Track both numbers. Score and time. If score falls as time falls, the speed is not real.
- Never tell them to go faster. Find the fact that is slow and drill it.
- Separate careless from unknown. A misread sign and a missing fact need different fixes.
- Keep the long questions slow. Mental maths speed buys time for the worded problems, which still want care.
Why this comes before word problems
Order matters here, and families often run it backwards.
Build the facts first, through short quick tests. Once a child is strong numerically and competent on the key facts, they can build on to the worded problems, because the arithmetic no longer takes any of their attention.
A child doing worded problems while still counting on fingers is doing two hard things at once, and will usually fail at the one you were trying to teach. See our guide to word problems.
See where your child stands today
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Thirty questions, five minutes, twice a week
Mental maths actually gets a lot stronger from doing short-based questions. The better way to manage it is to be very strong numerically: their times tables, adding two-digit numbers, subtracting two-digit numbers in their head, knowing their square numbers, their prime numbers, their cube numbers.
Then they can apply themselves much more quickly by doing short quick tests. These are, for example, thirty questions under five minutes. And if they are very competent on the key facts, knowing angles, knowing how to do a quick linear equation, knowing the properties of triangles and quadrilaterals, then these help and build their ability to do short-based questions.
From there, then they can build on to the word problems. That order is the right way round.
Mushtaque Ahmed, Founder of GrammarPath and Bright Mentors
Frequently asked questions
What mental maths should a child have automatic for the 11+?
Times tables to 12 including the division facts, adding and subtracting two-digit numbers in their head, and square, cube and prime numbers. Beyond arithmetic: angle facts, triangle and quadrilateral properties, a quick linear equation, and the area, perimeter, volume and average formulas.
How do you build mental maths speed for the 11+?
Short quick tests: around thirty questions in five minutes, mixed topics, mostly recall. Ten seconds a question is enough for a known fact and not enough to work one out, which makes the gap obvious. Twice a week is plenty.
How do I stop my child getting faster but sloppier?
Track score and time together. If the score falls as the time falls, the speed is not real. Never tell a child to go faster: find the specific fact that is slow and drill that instead.
Should mental maths come before word problems?
Yes. A child doing worded problems while still working out basic arithmetic is doing two hard things at once. Build the facts first, then the word problems, because the arithmetic no longer costs them any attention.
How often should my child do mental maths practice?
Twice a week is enough when the sessions are five minutes. Mix the topics rather than drilling one, mark it together, note which questions needed working out, and re-set those same facts a week later.