How to play
Tap the correct answer. Wrong answers cost a point.
About Math Sprint
Math Sprint is thirty seconds of mental arithmetic against the clock. A sum appears, three possible answers appear underneath, and you tap the right one. Then the next sum, and the next. It is quick, a little bit tense, and rather good for you.
How to play
Each question is either an addition or a multiplication, using two whole numbers between 2 and 13. So you might be asked for 7 + 12, or 9 × 6, or 13 × 13. Below the question are three large buttons, each with a number on it. One is correct. Tap it.
A right answer adds a point. A wrong answer takes one away, though your score never drops below zero. Either way, a new question appears immediately. When the timer reaches zero the game shows your final score, and a tap starts a new round.
There is no skipping. The only way to move on from a question is to answer it.
Why guessing does not pay
With three choices, a blind guess is right one time in three. That means two guesses in three lose you a point. On average, guessing drags your score down, so if you do not know an answer it is worth spending a second to work it out.
Tricks for answering faster
Look at the last digit. The two wrong answers are always close to the right one, within three either side. They are never ten or twenty out. So you often do not need the full answer, only its final digit. For 8 × 7, you just need to know it ends in a 6. For 9 + 13, it ends in a 2. Find the button that ends with the right digit and tap it.
Use odd and even. Odd times odd is odd. Anything times an even number is even. Odd plus odd is even. This check takes no time and will often rule out one or both of the wrong buttons before you have done any real arithmetic.
Know your tables to thirteen. School tables usually stop at twelve, so the thirteens catch people out. They are easy to build: thirteen times a number is ten times it plus three times it. So 13 × 7 is 70 plus 21, which is 91.
For the elevens, any single digit times eleven is that digit written twice: 77, 88, 99. Eleven elevens are 121 and eleven twelves are 132.
Read the sign first. In a hurry it is easy to add when you should multiply. A glance at the symbol before the numbers saves silly mistakes.
Keep your hand ready. The buttons stay in the same place for the whole game, so rest a finger over each one, or keep the mouse pointer near the middle button.
What scores mean
Ten correct in thirty seconds is a decent start. Fifteen means you are answering in about two seconds each. Twenty or more is fast, and a score in the high twenties means the sums have become automatic.
Useful practice in disguise
Quick recall of number facts makes a lot of everyday maths easier, and short, frequent practice is the best way to build it. Math Sprint is a painless way to fit some in. It suits children who are learning their tables, and adults who would like to stop reaching for the calculator.
The game is free and runs in your browser on any device. There is nothing to download.