Numerical exercise · ~2 min a run · free
Mental Arithmetic
Fast, calculator-free sums against the clock.
Session mode
Difficulty
Auto sets the level from your recent results: up when you are acing it, down when it is too hard.
How to play
- 1Each question shows one sum. Work it out in your head, no calculator.
- 2Tap the correct answer from the four options.
- 3Aim for both speed and accuracy; your time is tracked.
See a worked example
Take 18 x 7. The pattern is two-digit by single-digit multiplication, and the method that survives the clock is round then correct: 20 x 7 = 140, but 20 is two more than 18, so you have counted two sevens too many and take 14 back off, leaving 126. Say the correction as a count of the thing you are multiplying, two sevens rather than just two, because mis-sizing that step is what turns a good shortcut into a wrong answer. When the number sits nowhere near a round one, split it instead: 7 x 10 plus 7 x 8. Never set out long multiplication on paper here; there is not time and there is no need. The trap is the uncorrected round answer, 140 here, which lands close enough to the real one to be sitting in the option list, so make the correction a step you always finish before you look at the options.
Pilot selection tests open with rapid mental maths under time pressure. Drill addition, subtraction, multiplication and division until the answers come instantly.
About this test
About this test
What this test measures
This exercise measures numerical fluency: how fast and accurately you add, subtract, multiply and divide in your head against the clock. Selection tests open with it because flight-deck maths, fuel burn, descent points and crosswind splits, has to be quick and calculator-free.
How to improve your score
- Drill times tables and the squares up to 20 until recall is automatic, so working memory is free for the harder steps.
- Round to convenient numbers first, then correct: 19 times 21 is roughly 20 times 20, then adjust.
- Practise little and often, two or three short timed sets a day build speed faster than one long session.
Good to know
Good to know
Round, then adjust
Turn awkward sums into easy ones, then correct. For 47 x 6, do 50 x 6 = 300 and take off 3 x 6 = 18 to get 282. The same trick handles 198 + 57: treat 198 as 200, add 57, then subtract 2.What a strong pace looks like
These tests reward speed and accuracy together, so a fast wrong answer costs more than a careful one. As a rough guide, aim to settle most single-step sums in a few seconds while keeping your accuracy high, then push the clock.
Frequently asked questions
Why do pilot tests use mental arithmetic?
Why do pilot tests use mental arithmetic?
Can I use a calculator?
Can I use a calculator?
How do I improve my score?
How do I improve my score?
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