Mental Arithmetic Test: free practice
Add, subtract, multiply and divide in your head. Adaptive drills that settle at your level, and six speed-math shortcuts that make big numbers easy.
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What is a mental arithmetic test?
A mental arithmetic test is a set of sums to do without a calculator, against the clock. The numbers are not hard; the pace is. Speed comes from two things: knowing a few shortcuts and practising at a level that is hard but not hopeless.
The drills here do the second. They climb a ladder ordered by how long each kind of question actually takes to solve and settle where you are right about 85% of the time, so each session is hard without being hopeless.
Where you will meet it
The question types, and where to practise each
The four operations
One adaptive drill for each operation, and a mixed drill that draws all four at random. Each runs for four minutes and shows a review of every question after.
Speed-math shortcuts
Six short lessons, each with a rule, worked examples and ten timed questions to make it automatic.
Number puzzles built on arithmetic
Number series and the number grid use the same quick sums inside a pattern.
Tips that work
- Work left to rightSay 47 + 36 as 47 + 30 = 77, then 77 + 6 = 83. Starting from the big part keeps the numbers short and you can stop early if the answer options differ in the tens.
- Round, then compensate37 x 99 is 37 x 100 - 37. Nearly every hard sum has a round number next to it.
- Halve and doublex 5 is x 10 then halve; / 5 is double then / 10; x 25 is x 100 then / 4. Each saves a long multiplication.
- Estimate firstA rough answer rules out options with the wrong size, and it catches most slips before you commit.
- Check products by casting out ninesThe digit sum of a product matches the product of the digit sums, once you take away any nines. The divisibility lesson shows how.
- Practise a little every dayFive minutes daily beats half an hour once a week.
Common traps
- Pushing speed past accuracy. A wrong answer costs half its points, so a miss undoes the gain from a rushed right one.
- Carrying digits in your head one at a time. Break the sum into tens and units instead.
- Writing the sum out in your head the way you would on paper. Mental methods usually go left to right.
Questions people ask
How can I get faster at mental arithmetic?
Learn a handful of shortcuts (halving and doubling, rounding and compensating, working left to right), then practise at a level where you are right most of the time. The lessons here cover the shortcuts and the drills supply the practice.
How long should I practise each day?
Five to ten minutes. Short daily sessions work better than long occasional ones.
Is a calculator allowed?
Not on the tests this prepares for, and not here.
What does the adaptive ladder do?
It moves you up a level when you answer well and down when you miss, in steps that shrink as it learns your level, so each session stays challenging without being discouraging.
Is it free?
Yes. All the drills and lessons are free and need no account.
Ready? Start with one test
Ten minutes a day is enough to notice the difference. Read the review after every session: it shows the right answer and why.
Start the Mental Arithmetic: Mixed test Also in the IQ Test & Brain Training appMore test prep
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