×You searched: multiplication tables check practice year 4
Multiplication Tables Check practice: a four-week plan for Year 4
Every Year 4 pupil in England sits the MTC in June: 25 typed answers, six seconds each. Knowing the tables is not enough — the check measures how instantly they come out.
What the check actually looks like
The Multiplication Tables Check is an on-screen test taken in school, in a two-week window in June. Twenty-five questions appear one at a time; each gives six seconds to type the answer, with a three-second pause between questions. Questions come from the 2 to 12 tables, and the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables appear more often than the others. There is no pass mark — schools receive a score out of 25.
Two details matter for practice. First, the answer is typed, not chosen, so a child who can spot 56 in a list but not produce it will run out of time. Second, six seconds rules out counting up in sevens: the fact has to be recalled, out of sequence, on demand.
A four-week home plan
Five minutes a day is enough, if the five minutes are spent on the right thing.
- Week 1 — audit. Run each table from 2 to 12 once, typed, untimed. Note which ones come out at 100 % and which do not. Usually it is 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 — the same ones the check favours.
- Week 2 — repair. One weak table a day: read it whole, practise it with choices, then typed. Keep the strong tables in rotation with one mixed round.
- Week 3 — mix and speed. Mixed rounds only, typed, at a harder level. Aim for no hesitation rather than a stopwatch.
- Week 4 — rehearse the format. Do a full 25-question run every other day using the official practice tool on gov.uk, and keep the app for the daily warm-up.
The mistakes that cost marks
Most lost marks are not unknown facts; they are near-misses under time pressure: 7 × 8 answered as 54, 6 × 9 as 56, 12 × 12 as 124. Mixed, typed practice exposes these, because the neighbouring facts appear close together and the child has to tell them apart without a list of options to lean on.
How to run the plan in Kalko
Kalko is not a replica of the government test, and it does not pretend to be. It is the daily trainer: typed answers, one table at a time or mixed, short enough to do every day.
- Enable tables to 12. A parent opens Settings (parental gate) → Learning range → 1–12. The check goes to 12 × 12.
- Audit with Learn → Practice. Pick a table, tap Practice, 5 questions. Note the result on the score screen. Repeat for 2 to 12 over a few days.
- Repair with Learn. For a weak table, read the full table on the Learn screen, then practise it until the round is 5/5.
- Speed with Challenge. From Home, open the Multiplication challenge. Typed answers, levels that climb in difficulty, three stars per level. One level a day keeps the streak alive.
- Check the profile. The player profile shows accuracy and perfect rounds. Accuracy above 95 % on mixed rounds is where a child should be by the end of May.
The check gives six seconds per question. Once accuracy is high, ask your child to say the answer out loud before typing — it is the closest thing to test conditions without a stopwatch.
Download on the App StoreTips from teachers
- Practise reversals as one fact: 4 × 3 and 3 × 4 never both appear in the check, so knowing one is knowing both.
- Do not over-rehearse the full 25-question format. It is tiring and adds nothing once the facts are known; two or three full runs in the final week is plenty.
- Keep the tone light. There is no pass mark, and the score is not shared with the child. The goal is fluency for Year 5 maths, not the check itself.
MTC questions parents ask
When is the Multiplication Tables Check 2026?
The 2026 window runs in the first half of June; schools choose the days. Your school will confirm the exact dates.
Which tables come up most?
By design, the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables appear more often. Every table from 2 to 12 can appear; 1 does not.
Is there a pass mark?
No. Schools receive each pupil's score out of 25 and use it to see who needs more support in Year 5.