The check in one paragraph
The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is a short, on-screen assessment that every state-school Year 4 pupil in England sits in June. Twenty-five multiplication questions from 2×2 up to 12×12 flash up one at a time. Each question gives the child six seconds to type the answer, then the check moves on. The whole thing takes about five minutes.
Why the MTC exists
The Department for Education introduced the check in 2019 (delayed to 2022 by the pandemic) to make sure every child leaves Year 4 with fluent times-tables recall — the foundation for everything in Key Stage 2 maths, from fractions to long division. Before the MTC, the government had no way of knowing whether the National Curriculum's Year 4 target was actually being met at scale.
What the check is not
It's not a pass/fail exam. There's no grade, no certificate, and it doesn't affect secondary school placement. Schools are given a score for every child (0–25) and an aggregate score, but they're not published in league tables in the way KS2 SATs are. It's a diagnostic tool, not a ranking mechanism.
Who takes it and when
- Every pupil in Year 4 in a state-funded school in England.
- Taken in a three-week window in June — schools pick the exact date.
- Independent (private) schools can opt in but aren't required to.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland don't have an equivalent statutory check.
Format at a glance
- 25 questions, all in the form 'a × b = ?'.
- 3 seconds to read the question, 6 seconds to answer, then the next question loads automatically.
- Type-in answers on a keypad — not multiple choice.
- Tables 2× to 12×. The 1× table is excluded.
- Weighted more heavily toward the 'harder' tables: 6×, 7×, 8×, 9×, 11×, 12×.
What the results mean
The DfE publishes a national average each year — in 2024 it was around 20/25, with roughly a quarter of pupils scoring full marks. Schools use individual scores to spot gaps for Year 5 planning, and to flag any child who might need extra support. Parents are told the score on the end-of-year report.
What parents actually need to do
Very little. Ten minutes of daily random-recall practice from Easter of Year 4 onwards is enough for most children who already know their tables. If your child is starting from cold, work backwards from June and give yourself 8–10 weeks. The single biggest thing a parent can do is stay calm — the MTC is designed to be low-stakes, and children pick up parental anxiety fast.