Arithmetic Practice Paper

Method

1. Work through the questions in order; they are arranged from easiest to hardest, so early marks should come quickly and confidently.
2. Read the operation symbol carefully before starting - plus, minus, multiply, divide, and the order-of-operations questions that mix several symbols together are easy to misread under time pressure.
3. For any calculation too large to do mentally, use the correct formal written method: column addition or subtraction, remembering to exchange rather than borrow-and-forget, short or long multiplication, or the bus stop method for division.
4. For questions with brackets or mixed operations, apply the order of operations, brackets first, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction, rather than working strictly left to right.
5. For fraction, decimal and percentage questions, convert to a common form if needed, for example finding a fraction of an amount by dividing by the denominator and multiplying by the numerator.
6. Keep an eye on the clock: with 40 marks in 30 minutes, aim to spend under a minute on most questions, so there is time left to return to any you skipped.
7. If a question looks hard, circle it, move on, and come back at the end, rather than losing time that could be spent on easier marks elsewhere on the paper.
8. In the last few minutes, check your working for any calculation where you rushed, and make sure every answer box has been filled in, even with a sensible attempt.

Practice questions

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Free printable worksheet