In June of Year 4, children in England take a short on-screen check of their times tables. It is called the multiplication tables check, often shortened to MTC. It is quick, it has no pass mark, and most of what helps is the kind of tables practice families have always done: a few minutes here and there, kept light. This guide explains what the check is, how it runs, what the result means and how to practise at home without turning it into a chore.
What the check is
The multiplication tables check is statutory in Year 4, which means it is a fixed part of Year 4 rather than something a family opts into. It takes place in a June window, and the school decides which day within that window suits the class.
Its purpose is simple: to find out whether a child can recall their times tables facts quickly. It covers the 2 to 12 times tables, so questions such as 7 × 8 and 12 × 6 are the kind of thing your child will see. It does not test written methods, word problems or anything beyond the tables themselves.
How it runs
The check is taken on screen, in school.
- There are practice questions first, so your child can get used to the screen and the way the questions appear before anything counts.
- Then there are 25 questions. Each one is a single multiplication fact.
- Your child has 6 seconds to answer each question. When the time is up, the check moves on to the next question.
Six seconds sounds short, but it is enough time to recall a fact a child knows well and answer. It is not enough time to count up in steps, which is the point: the check is looking for recall, not working out. A child who knows most tables but still counts up for one or two of them will usually get most questions right and miss a few, which is normal.
It is worth telling your child beforehand that the questions move on by themselves. Knowing that in advance means it is not a surprise on the day, and it helps them see that missing one question and moving straight to the next is exactly what is meant to happen.
What the result means
There is no pass mark. Nobody passes or does not pass, because there is nothing to pass: the check simply gives a score. The school receives each child’s score, and parents can be told it. Ask the class teacher if you would like to know how your child got on.
The result is a snapshot of one day in June. The school receives a score, and at home it is best used as a pointer towards the facts worth a little more attention, not as a verdict.
How to practise times tables at home
Tables are learnt by recall, and recall comes from short, frequent practice rather than long sessions. A few minutes most days does more good than half an hour once a week, and it is far easier to keep going.
Keep it short and regular
- Five minutes a day is plenty. The walk to school, waiting for the kettle, the last few minutes before a bath.
- Say the whole fact aloud, question and answer together: “seven eights are fifty-six”. Hearing the whole sentence helps it stick.
- Mix the order. Once a table is familiar in order, ask the facts jumbled up, so that recall does not lean on the chant.
Build from what they know
- Start with the tables your child already knows and add one new table at a time. Confidence with the 2s, 5s and 10s makes the rest feel reachable.
- Point out the pairs. 3 × 8 and 8 × 3 have the same answer, so every fact learnt is really two facts. Children often find this a relief.
- Turn it round. Ask “what times 6 makes 42?” as well as “what is 7 × 6?”. Knowing the facts both ways makes recall quicker and helps with division later.
Add speed last
Do not time your child until the facts are secure. Timing a table they are still learning tends to make them count up faster, not recall. Once they know a table well, a gentle game of “how many can you answer in a minute?” lets them feel their own speed improving, and that is motivating in itself. If the check is on their mind, a little practice at answering quick questions on a screen takes away one more unfamiliar thing on the day.
Using Courselo
In the course, the times tables topic has a short animated lesson that Budlet, the course’s friendly seed mascot, reads aloud, and Games give rounds of questions on it. A miss is met with “Not yet” and “Show me why”, then a similar question, and questions missed on an earlier day come back later, so the facts that need more work get the most practice. If your child misses several questions on the topic, Training has Budlet teach it another way, then gives easy questions, then two trickier ones; if it is still hard, the topic rests until tomorrow. In the grown-ups area you can see progress per topic, and “Needs a hand” gives a short tip for anything worth a little more attention this week.
Keeping it low-key
The best thing a parent can do for the check is to treat it as a normal day: a good night’s sleep, breakfast, and no special fuss. Children take their cue from the adults around them, and a child who sees the check as a quick game on a screen is likely to feel calmer on the day.
Afterwards, ask how it went, be pleased with whatever they tell you, and carry on with the five minutes a day. Times tables are useful for the rest of primary school and well beyond it, and the check is just one marker along the way.
Last checked: October 2026.