In June 2020, the Department for Education introduced the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) — a mandatory online assessment for all Year 4 children in England. Every child must answer 25 questions across all the times tables from 2 to 12, with just 6 seconds to answer each one. The entire test takes about five minutes.
This single change made times table fluency more important than it has been for a generation. And yet many children arrive at Year 4 without the rapid recall the test demands.
What the Curriculum Expects, and When
- Year 1: Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s
- Year 2: 2×, 5× and 10× tables
- Year 3: 3×, 4× and 8× tables
- Year 4: All tables up to 12×12, with rapid recall expected
- Year 5+: Using multiplication facts in increasingly complex contexts — fractions, ratio, algebra
The MTC at the end of Year 4 is the moment when rapid recall is formally tested. But the foundation for that fluency needs to be built consistently from Year 2 onwards.
The Difference Between Understanding and Fluency
Many children understand multiplication without having fluent recall. They can work out 7 × 8 by counting on, or by doing 7 × 4 × 2, or by some other strategy. This understanding is genuinely important.
But fluency — the ability to retrieve 7 × 8 = 56 in under two seconds without working it out — is a different skill, and it matters enormously. When multiplication facts are automatic, children can use their working memory for the harder parts of maths problems (reasoning, fractions, algebra) rather than spending it on basic computation.
The Hardest Tables
Research and teacher experience consistently show the same culprits:
- 7× table — particularly 6×7, 7×7, 8×7
- 8× table — especially 6×8, 7×8
- 12× table — less frequently practised at home
- 6× table — often confused with 4× by younger children
The most reliably effective strategy for these hard facts is concentrated, regular retrieval practice — not understanding (the child usually already understands), but drilling the recall until it's automatic.
What Works for Times Table Practice at Home
- Five minutes daily beats thirty minutes weekly — the spacing effect is as important for maths as it is for spelling
- Random order practice — reciting the 7× table in order is far easier than answering 6×7 in isolation. The MTC uses random questions; practice should too
- Quick-fire questioning — short, rapid questions with immediate feedback build the automaticity the test demands
- Target the gaps — identify which specific facts are slow or wrong, and practice those more than the ones your child already knows
- Make it a game — timing, earning, competing (against yesterday's score or a sibling) all increase engagement and reduce the tedium of rote drilling
The Pocket Money Game's maths section covers all 2× to 12× tables across its levels, presenting questions in random order with immediate feedback — exactly the conditions that build genuine fluency.
A Word on Dyscalculia
For children with dyscalculia — a specific learning difficulty affecting number processing — the fluency model is genuinely harder. These children may need alternative strategies (using patterns, mnemonics, physical counting aids) for longer. If your child is making no progress despite consistent practice, it's worth raising with their teacher and considering an assessment.