What the math facts race does
This game asks short arithmetic questions, one at a time, and keeps the time. A math fact here is a small calculation with two numbers, such as 6 + 7, 15 − 8, 7 × 8 or 56 ÷ 7. You pick which operations and which times tables are in the mix, type each result on the number pad or the keyboard, and get a count of correct and wrong answers at the end. It is timed practice with settings you control, for one player, for two players on one screen, or for a group in front of a projector.
The three modes
| Mode | How it runs | When it ends | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | The clock counts down from 30, 60 or 120 seconds while you answer as many questions as you can. | When the time is up | Most correct answers, then fewest wrong ones |
| Fixed set | 20 questions, and the clock counts up. | After question 20 | Most correct answers, then the shortest time |
| Two players | The screen is split in two halves, each with its own number pad. Both players get the same questions in the same order. | When one player has 10 correct answers | None is kept |
Every round starts with a short countdown from 3, so nobody loses time looking for the number pad. Stop ends a round early. A stopped round still shows its result, but it does not count as a best result.
Which facts are asked
| Operation | Numbers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Addition | Two numbers from 1, with a sum of at most 10, 20 or 100 | 6 + 7 = 13 |
| Subtraction | A first number up to 10, 20 or 100, minus a number that is not larger, so the result is 0 or more | 15 − 8 = 7 |
| Multiplication | One factor from the tables you picked, the other from 1 to 12, in either order | 7 × 8 = 56 |
| Division | A multiple of a picked table divided by that table, so the result is a whole number from 1 to 12 | 56 ÷ 7 = 8 |
With more than one operation switched on, the operations take turns in a shuffled order, so a round of 20 questions with all four has five of each. Inside an operation the game deals the facts like a shuffled deck of cards: every fact that fits your settings comes up once before any fact comes back. The same fact never appears twice in a row, and neither does its twin with the numbers swapped, such as 3 × 4 right after 4 × 3.
Picking only the 7 times table for multiplication gives 23 different questions: 7 × 1 to 7 × 12 and 1 × 7 to 12 × 7, with 7 × 7 counted once. Picking only the 7 times table for division gives 12: 7 ÷ 7 up to 84 ÷ 7.
Wrong answers and the list of missed facts
When an answer is wrong, the game shows what you typed and the right result for a moment, for example "Not 54. 7 × 8 = 56". With Move on, the next question follows. With Ask again, the same question comes back and has to be answered correctly before the round continues. The clock does not stop while the result is shown, so a quick guess costs more time than a short think.
The result lists every fact that got a wrong answer, with the right result next to it and how often it went wrong. Practice these starts a round with just those facts, each asked twice. If that practice round has wrong answers too, its result has a new, shorter list to practice again.
Two players on one screen
Two players is made for a tablet lying on the table, a laptop or an interactive board. Each half has its own question, its own number pad and a bar that fills up toward 10 correct answers. Both players work through the same list of questions, so nobody gets easier numbers, but each one moves through the list at their own pace. A wrong answer blocks that player's number pad for a moment while the right result is shown.
Side by side puts the halves next to each other. Face to face stacks them and turns the top half around, so two players can sit at opposite ends of a tablet. On a narrow phone the two halves are always stacked and the number pads switch to two rows of digits, so everything fits without scrolling sideways. The number pads react to two fingers at the same time.
On a projector and with a group
- Full screen. Start in full screen fills the whole display with the round and scales the question up. Full screen can also be switched on and off during a round.
- Teams at the board. Run two players on an interactive board with one team on each half. After each correct answer the next team member steps up.
- One table at a time. Switch on multiplication, press None above the tables and pick a single table. Add division with the same table to ask the same facts the other way around.
- The same settings for everyone. A link can carry the settings. For example,
/tools/math-facts-race/?ops=mul,div&t=7,8&m=setopens a fixed set with multiplication and division for the 7 and 8 times tables. The parts areops(add, sub, mul, div),t(tables),r(10, 20 or 100),m(sprint, set or duel),s(30, 60 or 120 seconds) andw(next or retry). - On paper. The worksheet below the game uses the same operations, tables and number range, so a round on screen and a page on paper cover the same facts.
For a filled or blank times table to look things up, print a multiplication chart. The math worksheet generator makes sheets with your own number ranges and larger numbers, and the classroom quiz runs questions you write yourself with team points.
The printable worksheet
The worksheet is a PDF made in your browser. Each page has a title, a line that names the operations and tables, blanks for name, date, time and score, and 20 to 60 numbered problems in two to four columns. With several pages, every page has different problems, dealt from the same shuffled deck as the game. The last page of the file is the answer key, with the answers to every page in the same numbering. Choose US Letter or A4 before you download.
What is stored
Your settings, one best result per setting and the result of your last round, with its list of missed facts, are stored in your browser, so they are still there after a reload. A two-player race in progress is also kept for up to three hours, so a reload by mistake does not end it. A sprint or a fixed set that is running when the page reloads is not continued, because its clock would no longer be fair. Nothing is sent to a server, and Forget best results clears the stored best results on this device.
How to play
- 1Pick a mode: a sprint against the clock, a fixed set of 20 questions or two players.
- 2Switch on the operations you want. For multiplication and division pick the times tables, for addition and subtraction the number range.
- 3Press Start. After the countdown, type each result and press OK or Enter.
- 4Read the result: correct, wrong, accuracy, correct answers per minute and the facts that went wrong. Press Practice these or Play again.
Related guides
- How Many Pages Is 1,000 Words? Words per Page, Measured
- How to Study With Flashcards: Spaced Repetition Explained
- The Cornell Note-Taking Method, Step by Step
Frequently asked questions
Which facts does the game ask?
Addition with two numbers from 1 and a sum of at most 10, 20 or 100. Subtraction with a first number up to 10, 20 or 100 and a result that is never below zero. Multiplication with one factor from the times tables you picked and the other from 1 to 12, in either order. Division of a multiple of a picked table by that table, so the result is a whole number from 1 to 12 and nothing is left over.
What is the difference between the three modes?
A sprint runs for 30, 60 or 120 seconds and counts how many answers you get right. A fixed set has 20 questions and stops the clock after the last one. Two players splits the screen: both sides get the same questions in the same order, each with its own number pad, and the first side with 10 correct answers wins.
What happens after a wrong answer?
The right result is shown for a moment and the number pad of that player waits. Then the game either goes on to the next question or asks the same one again, whichever you set under "After a wrong answer". The clock keeps running in both cases. The fact goes on the list of facts that went wrong.
What does "Practice these" do?
After a round, the result lists every fact that got a wrong answer. Practice these starts a short round with only those facts: each one is asked twice, in a shuffled order. A practice round has its own result and does not change your best results.
How is the best result decided?
For a sprint, more correct answers are better, and with the same number, fewer wrong answers. For a fixed set, more correct answers are better, and with the same number, the shorter time. One best result is kept for every combination of mode, sprint length, operations, tables, number range and wrong answer setting. A round you stop early and a two-player race do not count.
Can I play with the keyboard?
Yes. Type the digits, press Backspace to delete and Enter to answer. With two players on one keyboard, the first player uses the number row with Enter and Backspace, and the second player uses the number block with its own Enter key and the minus key to delete. Escape stops the round.
What is on the printable worksheet?
Problems from the same operations, tables and number range as the game, written as "7 × 8 = " with a blank. You choose 20 to 60 problems per page and 1 to 4 pages in US Letter or A4. Each page has a line for name, date, time and score, and the last page of the PDF is the answer key for all pages.