Mental Arithmetic Paper 1
A mental arithmetic paper is a short, strictly timed section of an 11+ test, particularly in the GL Assessment and CEM/CSSE traditions, in which a sequence of calculation questions is read aloud or shown briefly, one at a time, and the pupil must work out and write down the answer with no calculator and very little time for a formal written method. It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and simple fractions or percentages across twenty to thirty questions, testing instant recall of number facts and quick mental strategies rather than long written calculation.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Before the paper starts, refresh instant recall of number bonds to 10, 20 and 100 and times tables to 12 x 12, since re-deriving these from scratch wastes seconds you do not have.
- Listen to or read the whole question once before writing anything, so you calculate the correct thing rather than restarting halfway through.
- Jot only the numbers and operation you need, not every step of working, since a full written method rarely fits the time given.
- Use mental strategies suited to the numbers: round then adjust for near-multiples of 10, partition larger numbers into tens and units, and use known facts such as doubling and halving rather than long multiplication.
- If a question is not solved within a few seconds, write your best estimate or leave it and move straight to the next question. A blank answer costs one mark; a wasted 30 seconds can cost several.
- In the last moments, check your answers make sense in size, for example that a 'how many left' answer is smaller than the amount you started with.
Worked example
A mental arithmetic question, read aloud once: 'Take 28 away from 100, then divide the result by 9. What is your final answer?'
- Start with the subtraction: 100 - 28.
- 28 is close to 30, so subtract 30 from 100 to get 70, then add back the 2 that was over-subtracted: 70 + 2 = 72.
- Now divide the result by 9: 72 / 9.
- Recall the times-table fact 9 x 8 = 72, so 72 / 9 = 8.
- The final answer is 8.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1What is 9 more than 68?Show answer
Answer: 77
Q2Multiply 7 by 8.Show answer
Answer: 56
Q3What is half of 96?Show answer
Answer: 48
Q4Take 15 away from 52.Show answer
Answer: 37
Q5What is 6 times 9, plus 4?Show answer
Answer: 58
Q6Divide 84 by 7.Show answer
Answer: 12
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
This is question 4 of a mental arithmetic paper, read aloud once: 'Multiply 6 by 7, then add 5. What is your answer?'
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This is question 9 of a mental arithmetic paper, read aloud once: 'I have 45 sweets. I share them equally between 5 friends, then each friend eats 2 of their share. How many sweets does each friend have left?'
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the mental arithmetic paper 1 worksheet pack - 9 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
This topic is chapter 1 of 11+ Maths Workbook 1, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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