The Multiplication Tables Check
England only. Northern Ireland introduces its own statutory Year 5 Multiplication Check in the summer term of 2026/27, which is a different check with a different name, and Scotland and Wales have none. The 4-nation curriculum page has the detail.
What it is
- Who takes it
- Year 4 pupils in England. It is statutory.
- What it covers
- Multiplication tables up to 12 × 12.
- The format
- Twenty-five questions, six seconds each.
- When
- A two-week window in June, plus a catch-up week.
- Pass mark
- There is no pass mark.
- Published?
- There is no school-level publication.
Source: DfE Multiplication tables check assessment framework and administration guidance, and the National Curriculum programmes of study for Year 4 mathematics.
What the curriculum asks
The published wording is that pupils should recall multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12, by the end of Year 4.
A new national curriculum is expected to be published in 2027 and taught from 2028, with the check kept. Check this page again before September 2027.
How pupils did
In the 2025 check, 37% of eligible Year 4 pupils scored 25 out of 25: 240,871 pupils of 655,535 eligible. That is full marks, not a pass. There is no expected pass mark, so 37% is not a pass rate and the other 63% did not fail.
The figure has risen each year: 27% in 2022, 29% in 2023, 34% in 2024, and 37% in 2025. The 2026 result is due in November 2026.
Source: DfE, “Multiplication tables check attainment: 2025”, academic year 2024/25, published 20 November 2025. Read at source on 29 September 2026.
Practising for it
Pupils in England practise times tables with The Great Times Tables Race. Practising towards quick, reliable recall is practising what the check measures, and more. It is not test preparation, and this page claims no result.