Mental Arithmetic Paper 8
Mental Arithmetic Paper 8 is a further full timed practice paper in this series, testing the same blend of the four operations, fractions, percentages, and time or money problems that appear in the mental maths sections of GL Assessment and CEM/CSSE 11+ tests, with each question needing to be answered from memory and mental strategy in just a few seconds.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- As each question is read, form a rough estimate of the size of the answer before you calculate exactly, so you can spot an answer that is clearly wrong.
- Apply the most direct mental method for the operation involved, favouring known times-table and number-bond facts over working things out from first principles.
- Where a question involves rounding, round only at the step the question describes, and use the exact number for every other step.
- Keep track of which operation comes first in a two-step question, since answering the steps in the wrong order gives a different, wrong result.
- Compare your calculated answer against your earlier rough estimate; if they do not roughly match, quickly recheck your working.
- Write your answer clearly and move on immediately, since this paper allows only a few seconds per question.
Worked example
A mental arithmetic question, read aloud once: 'Multiply 8 by 7, then take away 23. What is your final answer?'
- Start with the multiplication: 8 x 7.
- Recall the times-table fact: 8 x 7 = 56.
- Now subtract 23 from 56.
- 56 - 23 = 33.
- The final answer is 33.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1What is 12 more than 49?Show answer
Answer: 61
Q2Multiply 9 by 9.Show answer
Answer: 81
Q3What is a fifth of 65?Show answer
Answer: 13
Q4Take 18 away from 74.Show answer
Answer: 56
Q5What is 6 times 7, plus 8?Show answer
Answer: 50
Q6Divide 121 by 11.Show answer
Answer: 11
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 5 by 8, then add 17. What is your answer?'
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This is question 12 of a mental arithmetic paper, read aloud once: 'A shop has 96 apples. It packs them equally into 8 boxes, then sells 3 apples from one box. How many apples are left in that box?'
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This is question 18 of a mental arithmetic paper, read aloud once: 'Find 10% of 70, then multiply your answer by 3. What is your answer?'
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the mental arithmetic paper 8 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 17 of 11+ Maths Workbook 1, the whole course as one free printable PDF.
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