Times tables tests

[BadKitten]

dd is in year 3. They started doing times tables tests a couple of weeks ago. They do one table at a time so start with 10x. If they pass that then next week they move onto 5x then 2x etc. It sounds reasonable.

However the format of the test is that they are given 12 sums in random order on their test paper. In order to move up to the next table they have to answer all 12 questions correctly in 30 seconds!

dd is quite good at maths, knows her tables fairly well but try as she might, even writing quickly she can't do her 5x in less than 32 seconds. Most of the class are still on their 10's and struggling to do it speedily enough even though I reckon if you asked them for example 10x7 verbally they could answer instantly.

I know in a friends year 4 class (in same school) they are asked verbally - teacher will call out 10x or 5x and which ever ever the child is working on they will write down. Seems more realistic. I'm wondering if its because dds teacher was year 5 for a few years?

So how do your kids get tested? Is this usual practice?

Aren't you lucky your kid is doing it in yr3, mine has just started his at yr2 and its driving me up the wall.

In my son's school, in the test, all they have to do is write down the answer as the teacher shouts it out, not sure if they are timed though!

There is no set way for teachers to test tables. I don't think what your DD's teacher is asking is unreasonable - if she only has to write the answer. Your DD needs to know the answer immediately without having to count on her fingers or repeat the sum to herself.

If you feel your DD is finding the test situation a bit stressful, it's worth just having a quick chat with the teacher.

Best of luck (I teach KS2 BTW) xx

key stage 2 sats age 11 would expect child to answer one question of this sort within 5 seconds. No way you could do the whole table in 30 seconds.

thanks all its very different from infants where all she was expected to do was have a private test where the teacher would take her to one side and ask her questions to see if she knew them.

I don't think shes stressed enormously - she sees it as a personal challenge. I just wasn't sure if it was a reasonable expectation.

Best keep practising then!!

I take a yr 6 class every other Friday. They are practicing their tables on a computer program. They have to do each of them to x10 (randomly) in under 30 seconds in order to say they've 'done' that one. I think that it is a bit quick for yr3 if they've got to read them as well but it is good practice for getting them off pat. Also they only have to read the first number and write the answer if all the sums are from the same table.
Glad to hear she isn't getting stressed about it.

Thanks TC - I just pointed that out to her and she gasped out loud and patted me on the head with a 'clever mummy' so I think that hint has gone down well

For year 3 I would say this is a very tough expectation. 32 seconds for 12 questions is an excellent score.

My children aren't tested very often at school which I think is bad. Times tables are an important building block, so I tested my children myself.

When my dd was in year 3 I wrote a times tables tester which can be found here. I tested her regularly against the clock (30 questions).

For each table I had a bronze, silver and gold award. Bronze was for under 3 minutes, silver was for under 2 minutes, gold was for under 1 minute. There was a small prize for gold. By the end of year 3 she achieved gold for the 10s only but came very close with 2s, 3s and 5s. Most of the other tables were at silver. I set the gold score based on my own scores.

The hardest part was not recalling the answers, it was writing them down fast enough. When tested at school she was the fastest in her class and was considered exceptional. I wouldn't say maths was a strength of hers, it was purely down to memory, writing speed and practice.

She is in year 4 now. I no longer test her as I am confident she knows her tables well enough to make use of them. It has also given her huge confidence in maths which was otherwise lacking.

So, keep practising, but don't let the lack of progress in the school scores get you down.