Numeracy QTS Skills Tests

Hi, I passed both of mine, just before Easter. For the spellings, download the Quizlet app on to your phone and search for any of the Steve Paget's spelling lists. I think its about 160 words. Then practise those, all of mine came from that list. I did a massive session working out which ones I knew and starred the ones I didn't know or was unsure of, and practised just those ones. For the rest I just did the practise tests on the DfE website. Comprehension was the trickiest part so its important to really go through that section on the DfE ones - I downloaded the pdfs after doing them timed, just so I could go through it and really understand what I needed to do. I'm not sure if that's of any use but good luck. PS Also heard that the Plymouth University has good resources online, so maybe worth checking that out.

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thank you so much! this sounds like great help, will download the app, I've booked my test for next month!

This is completely my opinion - but I think you don't need a maths tutor. I didn't need one. Tutors usually don't know all the tricks and shortcuts you need for the mental maths section. All you need an hour or so each evening and perseverance!

I highly recommend that you sign up to NumeracyReady (its only £20 for 20 tests!) and go through each one. Perfect each one and then move on to the next. It even has videos specifically made to help with the test. The videos actually show you some shortcuts and ways to remember calculations.

There are other services you can sign up to, like QTSMathsTutor, but I found that one to be really far off the real thing. NumeracyReady seemed very similar to what I took at the centre.

The book you mentioned is also a good tool and could be used to supplement your study (bedtime reading!).

Above all, the official DfE tests are the best thing to revise/prepare with. Just keep taking them again and again until you are CONSISTENTLY gaining 80-90% in each. There are 4 tests there and they are the most accurate representation of the real test.

Like I've said, you just need a lot of patience and some perseverance. The tests can be passed but you just need to work out the best way of preparing. I did the above and glad to say I passed on second attempt

Is numeracy ready really useful? I failed my test today by 6 marks. How long did you wait to book for your second attempt.

Just to be on the safe side, and since I was only allowed 3 attempts at the time, I waited about 5 weeks after a lot of preparation. You now have unlimited attempts so you can probably get away with less time between them.

Is numeracy ready really useful? I failed my test today by 6 marks. How long did you wait to book for your second attempt.

I used numeracy ready in the run up to mine and found it very useful. Only ended up using a few of their practice tests as I passed my numeracy test first time however to say I’d never passed a practice one on the government website before I started using numeracy ready, I would say it definitely helped.

It helped me a lot. I also used the government practices which were vital in helping me pass, but I didn’t attempt those until I had completed quite a few Numeracy Ready tests. I would deffo recommend Numeracy Ready

It helped me a lot. I also used the government practices which were vital in helping me pass, but I didn’t attempt those until I had completed quite a few Numeracy Ready tests. I would deffo recommend Numeracy Ready

Thanks I decided to purchase the numeracy ready papers , it’s quite good. Did you pass the numeracy test the first time. And how many hours did you revise a day?I want to pass on my second attempt so may do all nighters.

As long as you do a lot of practice and remember how to work things out you can pass second time. It’s also important to remain calm and not let the anxiety of the test get to you.
I didn’t pass the first time because I let the stress of passing get to me.
I spent a few months practicing, only on Saturdays because I work full time

I didn’t find the government ones too difficult but I think it’s because I did so much NR beforehand. You’ll be fine, go in there confident & relaxed. It makes a difference. Good luck! xx

I used a book (I don’t know if you can see the pic) ‘Guide to the Numeracy Skills Test’ by Tom O’Toole as well. He had some super tricky questions that put me off, but this helped a lot with the MA section. I also recorded each Numeracy Ready mental arithmetic test on my phone, so that I could redo the test as many times as I wanted to. I just practiced and practiced and practiced the MA section. I got used to the speed. Working the question out after the first hearing and I found that during the real test it was the area I performed in the best. I was getting 2/12 and then on average 9/12 all from practice.
My maths wasn’t very strong so I gave myself a lot of time and used a few aids, such as the books and NR to help.

Good luck for Wednesday. I think the real questions are a little bit easier, so I think you’ll be fine. 🙂

Well, I passed both. You don’t get told your mark, so it’s hard to know quite how well it went really. I thought I’d put together a few tips though that might help others:

* If you’ve yet to book, do the numeracy first and get it over with. It makes the literacy a lot less pressured.
* Do all 4 of the Practice tests. They are the exact same format / layout in the real thing. The only difference is they give you an exact mark. https://practice.skillstestbooking.com
* I’d heard conflicting things about the white boards and whether you can rub stuff out. When I got there I asked the lady on the desk what the policy was and she told me it was my board to do whatever I wanted with. They even gave me a board rubber. I rubbed out my working after every question to keep it clear and easy to follow.
* When I went into the test room, I asked the guy if I could have a second board. He looked at me like I was an alien and said only if he could find a spare, but to his credit he did fetch me a second one. Due to rubbing out, I didn’t really need it anyway.
* Be prepared to sit VERY CLOSE to other testgoers (* I may have just invested this word). It was a bit off putting at first, but you do get used to it. When you sit down they ask you straight away to click ok on the screen, and it’s easy to feel a bit flustered. However, this just brings up the instructions to read. Take a moment to get comfortable, set your board and pen out, check they work etc, move the mouse if you’re left handed, take a few deep breaths, and only then click Start. This really helped me to calm down.

Tips for the actual test:
* Know your bar charts, box and whiskers, pie charts and cumulative frequency graphs like the back of your hand. They’re all in the calculator section, so they should be among the easier marks if you’re well prepared.
* Start noticing patterns. This is what really helped with the Mental Arithmetic. For example, if they start going on about 140 children in classes of 35 this might sound immediately offputting. But if you can quickly spot that 35/140 is 1/4, it becomes MUCH more simple (2 x 35 = 70; 70 x 2 = 140, therefore 1/4).
* Many of the tricky questions have seemingly complicated stages, but end in significantly easier answers. For example, the time questions where you have to calculate how many sessions of 20 minutes will fit into a specific amount of time. The amount of time will normally be something unpleasant like starting at 9:35am with a seemingly unhelpful 15 minute break at 10:15. However, when you actually start working it out, the length of each session almost always fits neatly into the overall amounts of time.
* For the time questions, try writing out the stages. Eg: starts at 9:35, +20 mins = 9:55, +20 mins = 10:15, +15 mins break at 10:15 = 10:30, +20 mins = 10:50, etc. Then you can just count how many 20 minute sessions you used. You’ll have to write fast, but it really helps!
* Similarly for the age questions, write it out as 5y 7m, and then say the child’s reading age is 15 months above their real age, you can just add on or subtract accordingly. Eg: 15 months = 1y 3m. Therefore, 5y 7m + 1y 3m = 6y 10m.
* Practise converting between fractions and decimals. Remember that a fraction is basically the top number divided by the bottom number. So 3/4 is the same as 3 divided by 4. This guy really helped: https://youtu.be/iHEsQVWzzEA
* Remember percentages are just fractions over 100. If you need to convert 70%, it’s 70/100 = 7/10 = 0.7. Try to get used to recognising equal numbers in all their different forms. This will really help.
* Dont freak out at the conversion questions (eg: miles and km). They almost always give you easy numbers. For example 1.6km = 1 mile, the question might be convert 8km, 16km, 32km. If it’s 8km, notice that half of 16 is 8. Therefore half of 1.6 is 0.8. 0.8km = 0.5 miles, therefore 8km = 5 miles. Again, if you can spot the patterns among the haze of numbers, it becomes significantly easier.

I really hope that helps. Any questions, just ask. 🙂

Hello everyone,

Has anyone taken the test recently? I have mine booked in for next week. I am really dreading at the general arithmetic section. If anyone can remember any questions that will be really helpful. I have been trying this for a very long time & have had no luck so far.

Thanks in advance,
Mino

Thanks so much for this, do you remember any questions at all? I am dreading at this. I have mine booked in for next week. Thanks again.