Quick Math, twenty sums against the clock

What it asks of you

Quick Math asks for arithmetic fluency, how fast basic facts come to you without counting. Tables and simple additions are things you already know, and the game is about reaching them instantly.

It also uses working memory, holding a carry or a partial result while you type.

How to play

1. A sum appears, like 7 × 8 or 46 + 27.
2. Type the answer on the keypad or your keyboard.
3. The right answer validates by itself and the next sum comes.
4. A wrong answer adds three seconds, then you try again.
5. Twenty sums, and your score is your total time, lower is better.

The research behind it

Arithmetic facts get faster with use, that is what fluency means. Scores on a repeated cognitive test rise with practice (Scharfen et al., 2018a), and practice gains are clearest on the exact task you practise (Simons et al., 2016). Quick Math is that task, in about 40 seconds.

A round of sums also asks for your full attention, the opposite of passive scrolling. Forty seconds of real effort, and you know exactly how it went.

On your weekly card

Quick Math is a bonus game. In the app it comes back in the rotation of the bonus of the day, and you can play it freely whenever you like.

It never counts on your weekly card. Your own best time is the target.

Questions

Is it only multiplication tables?

Tables and additions of two digit numbers. Simple facts on purpose, so speed is what you work on.

Why a time penalty?

The score is a time. Three seconds per error keeps guessing from paying off.

Where is the full test?

The mental math test page explains the format in detail.

Sources

1. Scharfen J., Peters J.M., Holling H. (2018). Retest effects in cognitive ability tests, a meta-analysis. Intelligence 67, 44 to 66. doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2018.01.003
2. Simons D.J., Boot W.R., Charness N. et al. (2016). Do brain training programs work? Psychological Science in the Public Interest 17(3), 103 to 186. doi.org/10.1177/1529100616661983