- Start 8–12 weeks before: accuracy first, then speed, then the real exam format.
- Practise 15 minutes a day: warm-up, one timed round, then go over mistakes.
- In the last week, do one full practice run, then keep things light and positive.
Start 8–12 weeks before
Children improve fastest when practice has a clear order. For a January championship, October is a good time to begin. Each phase builds on the one before it.
A 15-minute daily session
Short sessions keep children fresh and make practice a habit, not a chore. Try to practise at the same time each day, for example after school or before dinner. For the fun challenge, try one of our mental maths tricks for kids to vary the session without making practice feel longer.
- Warm-up: a few easy sums to get the brain going.
- Timed round: one round at your child’s level, in the real format.
- Review: look at the wrong answers together and redo them slowly.
- Fun: finish with a game or a challenge your child enjoys.
Accuracy first, then speed
It is tempting to chase speed early, but a fast wrong answer scores nothing. Once your child is reliably accurate, speed grows almost by itself.
Practise in the real format
In the championship, questions appear one at a time, each round has its own timer, and there is no going back. Practising this way removes surprises. The free Practice Arena uses the exact format, and our sample questions show what each level looks like.
What to focus on at each level
The week before
- Do one full practice run in the real format, at the time of day your child will sit the exam.
- Keep the other days short and easy, with plenty of sleep.
- Test the device, camera, microphone and internet connection.
- Talk about the day calmly: “Do your best; that is all that matters.”
Exam-day checklist
Keep it positive
A competition should feel like a goal, not a test of worth. Praise effort and personal bests, celebrate small wins along the way, and remind your child that every entrant earns a certificate.