The numeracy skills test covers three areas: mental arithmetic, interpreting and using statistical information, and using and applying general arithmetic.
1. Mental arithmetic
This section will test your ability to carry out mental calculations using, for example, time, fractions, percentages, measurements and conversions.
2. Interpreting and using statistical information
This section will test your ability to:
- identify trends correctly
- make comparisons in order to draw conclusions, and
- interpret information accurately.
3. Using and applying general arithmetic
This section will test your ability to use and apply general arithmetic correctly using:
- time
- money
- proportion and ratio
- percentages, fractions and decimals
- measurements, eg. distance, area
- conversions, eg. from one currency to another, from fractions to decimals or percentages
- averages (including mean, median, mode and range where relevant), and
- simple given formulae.
The content of the test is relevant to your professional role as a teacher, and the majority of questions are written using data commonly available within schools which a newly qualified teacher (NQT) could be expected to use. For example:
- performance, eg. national test data, improvement data, target setting
- schools and/or individual pupils, eg. progress attainment, special educational needs (SEN), gender destinations, subject choices (eg. GCSE)
- finance, eg. costings, budgets, and
- teachers, eg. mark schemes, timetabling, planning school trips.
Test marking
The total number of marks available in the numeracy test is 28. Each question carries one mark.The table below indicates the number of marks available in each section.
|
Area of numeracy tested |
Number of marks available |
|---|---|
| Mental arithmetic | 12 |
| Interpreting and using statistical information | 7 |
| Using and applying general arithmetic | 9 |
