Multiplication Tables Check Practice, Year 4

In short

The multiplication tables check is a statutory on-screen check taken in June by Year 4 pupils in England's state-funded schools. Each child answers 25 questions of the form 6 x 7, drawn from the 2 to 12 times tables, with six seconds to answer each and a three-second pause between them. There is no pass mark. The check is designed to test instant recall, not calculation: the six-second limit exists to stop children working answers out, and more questions come from the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, which the framework calls the most difficult. In 2025 the average score was 21.0, and 37 per cent of eligible pupils scored full marks, the most common result. Modern Age Coders teaches Year 4 children to recall the tables, not just to compute them quickly, in short live lessons with extra time on the weighted tables and practice in six-second windows. The first lesson is free, then USD 100 a month in a group or USD 150 one to one.

Start here

Three courses for Year 4 number facts

Recall of the tables sits inside wider number sense. Each card opens a full syllabus.

Elementary Maths for Grades 1-5 course thumbnail

Y4 / 01

Primary Maths

Times tables within the whole primary number curriculum, placed by year group and a short check.

Open the syllabus →

Y4 / 02

Mental Maths for Kids

Number facts held in memory and used without writing, for ages 5 to 10.

Open the syllabus →

Y4 / 03

Abacus Mental Maths

For children who like a visual picture of number; recall still has to follow for the check.

Open the syllabus →

Six seconds

Long enough to remember, too short to work it out

From the Standards and Testing Agency's assessment framework and its 2026 administration guidance.

How the check works
Feature	The rule
Questions	25, each worth one mark, in the form 6 x 7, not ordered by difficulty
Time	Six seconds per question, starting the moment it appears; the answer is accepted when time runs out
Between questions	A three-second pause, unless a child needs a Next button as an access arrangement
Answering	Keyboard, touchscreen or mouse with an on-screen number pad
Correcting	Not possible once the six seconds end or Enter is pressed
Forms	Several equivalent versions, one given to each child at random
Restarts	Only after a significant disruption, never just to have another go
Pass mark	None

The framework is blunt about what it measures: "The MTC only assesses the instant recall of multiplication facts." Multiplication in wider contexts, word problems and written methods, is assessed elsewhere in Key Stage 2. The check exists to answer one narrow question, whether a child has the facts in memory by the end of Year 4, which the national curriculum expects: pupils "should have memorised their multiplication tables up to and including the 12 multiplication table".

Why working it out fails

Counting up in sevens to reach 7 x 8 takes eight steps. Doubling 7 x 4 takes two, plus the time to recall 7 x 4. Both are good mathematics, and both can take longer than six seconds under pressure, with typing still to do.

The framework says the limit was chosen to allow recall "without allowing enough time to work out the answer". It is doing its job when a clever method runs out of time.

Why the device matters a little

The guidance notes: "Research suggests that, in this type of timed assessment, year 4 pupils may find a small benefit from using a keyboard or touchscreen rather than a mouse."

Schools choose the input method. Practising on the same kind of device a child will use in school removes one small source of lost seconds.

Source: Multiplication tables check assessment framework (STA, updated for 2022) and the Multiplication tables check administration guidance (STA, updated 27 April 2026), both on gov.uk.

Which tables count

Not every times table counts the same

Each version of the check draws from 121 facts, the 2 to 12 tables, within fixed limits per table.

Questions per table in each version of the check
Table	Fewest questions	Most questions
1	Not included	Not included
2	0	2
3, 4 and 5	1 each	3 each
6, 7, 8 and 9	2 each	4 each
10	0	2
11	1	3
12	2	4

The framework gives the reason plainly: "There is an emphasis on the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 multiplication tables because these have been determined to be the most difficult multiplication tables." The tables children learn first in Key Stage 1, the 2, 5 and 10, supply only three to seven of the 25 questions; the Key Stage 2 tables supply eighteen to twenty-two.

Weight practice the same way

A child who knows the 2, 5 and 10 tables cold but hesitates on 7 x 8 or 12 x 9 has learned the part of the check that counts least. Practice time should follow the weighting.

Learn facts both ways round

The first number names the table, so 4 x 12 counts in the 4 table, but the framework also balances how often each second number appears. A child should know 12 x 4 and 4 x 12 as one fact.

The 2s and 10s count least

Each supplies at most two questions, and the 1 table none at all. Fluency there is necessary but earns little on its own; the marks sit in the harder tables.

2025 results

What the 2025 results show

From the Department for Education's official statistics on the June 2025 check. The 2026 figures are due in November 2026.

Multiplication tables check, England, 2025
Measure	Published figure
Average score, all pupils who took it	21.0, up from 20.6 in 2024
Full marks	37 per cent of eligible pupils, the most common score, up from 34 per cent
Took the check	96 per cent of eligible Year 4 pupils
Disadvantaged pupils	Average 19.3, up from 18.9
Other pupils	Average 21.7, up from 21.3
September-born pupils	Average 21.6
August-born pupils	Average 20.4
Highest region	London, 21.7
Lowest regions	South East and East of England, 20.7

One detail is worth reading carefully. The averages are published rounded, 20.6 and then 21.0, but the release says the score "increased 0.3 points (based on unrounded figures)". Subtracting the rounded numbers would give a different answer, which is why we print each figure as the Department published it and do our own arithmetic on none of them.

For parents of summer-born children

Children born late in the school year scored lower on average: 20.4 for August-born pupils against 21.6 for September-born pupils. A child nearly a year younger than some classmates is being measured on the same day.

That is a reason for patience and a little more practice, not alarm. There is no pass mark, and the result is not a verdict on a child.

What happens to the result

Schools see their pupils' scores from late June. They can compare their own average with national and local figures, but the guidance says they cannot view or benchmark against other individual schools' data.

The framework says the check helps schools spot children who need support, but it "is not intended as a diagnostic tool".

Source: Multiplication tables check attainment, 2024/25, Department for Education, and its announcement of the 2026 release for November 2026 (provisional).

How to practise

Practice that builds recall, not just speed

Speed is the symptom the check measures. Recall is the thing to build.

Two ways to practise
	Builds speed only	Builds recall
Method	Faster counting up, quicker tricks	Short daily retrieval of the facts themselves
Order	Always the same, 1 x 7 to 12 x 7	Mixed, so each fact is fetched on its own
Focus	All tables equally	More time on 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12
Direction	One way round	Both ways round, as one fact
Timing	As fast as possible	Within six seconds, calmly
What it leaves	A quick method	The answer, already known

Understanding still comes first. A child should know why 7 x 8 is eight sevens, see it as an array, and be able to derive it from 7 x 4 when stuck. Those are the foundations the curriculum builds. The check simply asks for the next stage, where the fact no longer needs deriving, and that stage comes from many short, spaced encounters with each fact rather than from one long session.

What we do in lessons

Short, frequent, mixed-order recall of the tables, with extra repetitions for the 6s, 7s, 8s, 9s and 12s and for any fact a child hesitates on.

Some practice in six-second windows on a keyboard or touchscreen, once recall is secure, so the format feels ordinary by June.

What we will not promise

A score. There is no pass mark to guarantee, and children reach fluent recall at different speeds, as the month-of-birth figures show.

That anxiety is worth a few marks. If practice starts to worry a child, we slow down. The check is a snapshot, and schools can use the official practice area from late April to make it familiar.

Many of our younger students do maths and coding together. For children who enjoy building things, the Key Stage 2 coding page covers what the computing curriculum asks at this age, and the Primary Maths Challenge page is for children ready for puzzles beyond the tables.

Progression

Four rungs to fluent recall

Each rung is secure before the next. Most Year 4 children arrive part-way up.

From understanding to instant recall
Rung	Usually	What should be true
1. Meaning	Years 2 and 3	Multiplication understood as groups and arrays; the 2, 5 and 10 tables known
2. Derivation	Year 3	Unknown facts worked out from known ones, such as doubling or adding one more group
3. Recall	Year 4	Every fact to 12 x 12 answered from memory, mixed order, both ways round
4. Fluency	By June of Year 4	Recall within six seconds, typed calmly, on the weighted tables especially

Rung two is not the goal

Deriving facts is valuable mathematics, but it is the stage the six-second limit is built to see past.

A child stuck at rung two needs retrieval practice, not more strategies.

Rung four takes weeks, not days

Short sessions several times a week beat a long session before the check.

After Year 4 the same recall carries straight into fractions, division and the rest of Key Stage 2.

The catalogue

Nine courses for primary-age children

Number facts first, then what comes after Year 4, then coding for children who like making things.

I

Number facts

For the check and around it

UK / MT1 / 01

Primary maths

The full primary number curriculum, times tables included.

Open the syllabus

UK / MT1 / 02

Mental maths for kids

Facts held in the head and used quickly.

Open the syllabus

UK / MT1 / 03

Abacus mental maths

A visual route into number for younger children.

Open the syllabus

II

After Year 4

Years 5 and 6

UK / MT2 / 01

11+ maths preparation

For families aiming at grammar or independent school entry.

Open the syllabus

UK / MT2 / 02

Upper primary and lower secondary maths

Fractions, ratio and early algebra, where the tables pay off.

Open the syllabus

UK / MT2 / 03

Maths through coding

From age 10, maths ideas explored by writing small programs.

Open the syllabus

III

Making things

Coding for young children

UK / MT3 / 01

Scratch programming

Games and animations with blocks, a first taste of logic.

Open the syllabus

UK / MT3 / 02

Game development for kids

For children who would rather build a game than play one.

Open the syllabus

UK / MT3 / 03

Early maths foundations

For a younger brother or sister, ages 4 to 7.

Open the syllabus

How lessons work

Short, frequent and calm

Our teachers are in India, where the clock stays put all year, so England is four and a half hours behind in summer and five and a half in winter. Lesson times are set in UK time.

After school

Short sessions, which eight-year-olds manage well.

Early evening

Before tea, while attention is fresh.

Weekend morning

A slightly longer lesson with games.

Mixed order

Facts asked out of sequence, so each one is recalled rather than counted from the last.

Weighted tables

More repetitions for the 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, matching the check.

Both ways round

4 x 12 and 12 x 4 practised together as one fact.

Six-second windows

Timed practice only once recall is secure, and never in a way that frightens a child.

Understanding first

Arrays and derivations taught properly, so recall rests on meaning.

Small groups

Five to ten children at one stage, with games that keep it light.

Student work

Things our younger students have made

Four projects from lessons, none of them tests. More in student labs.

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

Fees for primary maths lessons

One monthly fee in US dollars, the rate for every family outside India. The first lesson is free, and nothing is charged until a course and a weekly time are settled.

Free first class

USD 0

no card required

A gentle first lesson on the tables
A clear picture of which facts are secure
Only a phone number needed

Book it

Group batch

USD 100

a month, billed in US dollars

Five to ten children at one stage
The same teacher each week
Short, mixed recall practice
Games that keep it light

Start here

One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

A teacher for one child
Practice built around the facts that stick
Suits a child who finds groups hard

Enquire

What families say

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Google reviews from parents, exactly as they posted them.

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"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."

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"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."

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"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."

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Questions about the multiplication tables check

What parents of Year 4 children ask

What is the multiplication tables check?

A statutory on-screen check taken in June by Year 4 pupils in England's state-funded schools. It has 25 questions from the 2 to 12 times tables, with six seconds to answer each.

Is there a pass mark?

No. The guidance states there is no expected pass mark. Higher scores show more fluent recall, and schools use the results to see which children need more support.

Why only six seconds?

The framework says the limit gives time to recall an answer while limiting the chance to work it out. It was set after the Standards and Testing Agency trialled three limits with 1,124 pupils.

Which tables come up most?

The 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 tables, with two to four questions each, because the framework judges them the most difficult. The 2 and 10 tables supply at most two each, and the 1 table none.

How did children do in 2025?

The average score was 21.0 out of 25, and 37 per cent of eligible pupils scored full marks, which was the most common result. The 2026 figures are due in November 2026.

My child is summer-born. Should I worry?

August-born children averaged 20.4 in 2025 against 21.6 for September-born children. A child nearly a year younger than some classmates may simply need longer, and there is no pass mark to miss.

Should my child use a keyboard or a mouse?

Schools decide. The guidance notes that Year 4 pupils may find a small benefit from a keyboard or touchscreen rather than a mouse, so practising on a similar device helps.

Does it apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

No. The multiplication tables check is an assessment for schools in England. The other nations have their own approaches to primary maths.

Can my child practise the real check?

Schools can give pupils access to an official practice version, the try it out check, from late April. It has three practice questions and then 25 questions, and gives no score.

What does it cost?

The first lesson is free. After that there is one monthly fee in US dollars, lower for a group place than for one-to-one teaching, with the amounts in the fees section and nothing paid ahead.

Elsewhere on this site

More for primary families in England

Coding at this age, maths puzzles, and what comes next.

Key Stage 2 coding lessons

What the computing curriculum asks of children aged 7 to 11.

Primary Maths Challenge

Puzzles for children ready to go beyond the tables.

11+ maths in Kent

For families looking ahead to grammar school entry.

First competitions for primary children

Gentle maths and coding contests to start with.

Coding and AI classes in England

The English system from primary school upward.

Coding classes in the UK

Every UK page we publish, in one place.

Start here

Book a free first lesson

Leave a number and we will call at a UK time that suits your family. The first lesson is gentle, finds which facts are already secure, and ends with a plan.

Want to read first? Every course page sets out its syllabus, how we teach explains our approach with young children, and student labs shows what they make.

WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · contact@modernagecoders.com

WhatsApp is quickest and free from a UK phone. It reaches our office in India, so the number starts +91.

Three courses for Year 4 number facts

Primary Maths

Mental Maths for Kids

Abacus Mental Maths

Long enough to remember, too short to work it out

Why working it out fails

Why the device matters a little

Not every times table counts the same

Weight practice the same way

Learn facts both ways round

The 2s and 10s count least

What the 2025 results show

For parents of summer-born children

What happens to the result

Practice that builds recall, not just speed

What we do in lessons

What we will not promise

Four rungs to fluent recall

Rung two is not the goal

Rung four takes weeks, not days

Nine courses for primary-age children

Number facts

Primary maths

Mental maths for kids

Abacus mental maths

After Year 4

11+ maths preparation

Upper primary and lower secondary maths

Maths through coding

Making things

Scratch programming

Game development for kids

Early maths foundations

Short, frequent and calm

Mixed order

Weighted tables

Both ways round

Six-second windows

Understanding first

Small groups

Things our younger students have made

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees for primary maths lessons

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

What parents of Year 4 children ask

What is the multiplication tables check?

Is there a pass mark?

Why only six seconds?

Which tables come up most?

How did children do in 2025?

My child is summer-born. Should I worry?

Should my child use a keyboard or a mouse?

Does it apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

Can my child practise the real check?

What does it cost?

More for primary families in England

Key Stage 2 coding lessons

Primary Maths Challenge

11+ maths in Kent

First competitions for primary children

Coding and AI classes in England

Coding classes in the UK

Book a free first lesson

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

Related courses and guides

Free resources

From the blog

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