Of the three Skills Tests that budding new teachers have to complete the numeracy test is the most feared.
Statistics show that the numeracy test is failed more than any other, with one-in-three trainee teachers requiring at least a second attempt.
Knowing that the numeracy test was the only one likely to give me any problems I took the other two tests first, allowing me to focus my efforts on this one.
The test is in two parts: mental arithmetic and on-screen questions. The entire test has a time limit of 48 minutes. The pass mark is 60%.
Mental arithmetic questions:
The mental arithmetic section involves 12 questions being read to you through headphones. Each question is read twice and you have 18 seconds to input your answer after the second reading.
A few example mental arithmetic questions:
Knowing that the numeracy test was the only one likely to give me any problems I took the other two tests first, allowing me to focus my efforts on this one.
The test is in two parts: mental arithmetic and on-screen questions. The entire test has a time limit of 48 minutes. The pass mark is 60%.
Mental arithmetic questions:
The mental arithmetic section involves 12 questions being read to you through headphones. Each question is read twice and you have 18 seconds to input your answer after the second reading.
A few example mental arithmetic questions:
- Out of three classes of 28 pupils, 56 pupils took the higher level science paper. What percentage of pupils took the higher level science paper? Give your answer to one decimal place.
- For a school play, 120 tickets were sold at £1.50 each and a further 100 child tickets were sold at 75p each. What was the total amount raised by ticket sales?
- What is 6.03 multiplied by 100?
- What is 352 multiplied by 0.1?
- In a class of 28 pupils, 3/7 were boys. How many boys were in the class?
- In a test a pupil scored 18 out of 25. What was the pupil's percentage score?
- One hundred and thirty pupils paid £1.50 to attend the school disco. The DJ cost £120 and refreshments a further £40. How much profit did the disco make?
- A teacher completed an 18km sponsored walk for charity. All 30 pupils in the class sponsored the teacher 5p per kilometre. How much did the teacher raise for charity?
- A teacher has 18 parents to see at parents evening. The evening begins at 4pm and each parent's appointment lasts 5 minutes. The teacher also has a 15 minute break halfway through the evening. What is the earliest time the teacher will finish their appointments? Give your answer in 24 hour clock format.
On-screen questions:
After the mental arithmetic is completed you have 16 on-screen questions to attempt in the remaining 36 minutes of the test. A calculator is built into the programme for you to use as necessary. These questions mainly involve the analysis of graphical/tabulated data. It would be helpful to brush up on the following:
After the mental arithmetic is completed you have 16 on-screen questions to attempt in the remaining 36 minutes of the test. A calculator is built into the programme for you to use as necessary. These questions mainly involve the analysis of graphical/tabulated data. It would be helpful to brush up on the following:
- Mean, mode and median averages.
- Interpretation of box and whisker diagrams.
- Interpretation of line, bar and pie charts.
- Fractions and percentages.
Even if you fluff a couple of the mental arithmetic questions you have ample time to compensate for it on the on-screen questions. Just read the question, think carefully and don't panic.