PSLE Mathematics — Speed & Accuracy Drills to Boost Score
Parents often tell us, “My child knows the content but still drops marks.” In PSLE Maths, speed and accuracy are as important as understanding. Students who practise under time pressure, and learn to check quickly but effectively, consistently convert knowledge into marks. This guide gives you a practical drill system you can use at home to raise pace, reduce careless mistakes, and build exam stamina.
Why Speed & Accuracy Matter
PSLE Maths is a race against the clock with zero penalty for marks lost to carelessness. Two things typically lower students’ scores:
⏰ Slow processing: Students spend too long decoding word problems or setting up equations.
❌ Careless slips: Wrong sign, unit errors, skipping a step, or miscopying numbers.
Training both speed (to finish comfortably) and accuracy (to protect marks) changes outcomes more than learning new topics at this stage. Speed without control leads to errors; accuracy without speed leads to unfinished papers. We need both, and that’s what the drills below help build.
Drill Types (Timed, Mixed)
We use two types of drill at The Exam Coach:
Timed Drills build pace on specific skill types (e.g., fractions, percentage change, ratio scaling, area/perimeter).
Mixed Drills simulate PSLE Paper 2, switching between topics and question styles rapidly to improve mental agility.
How to run a timed drill (parent-friendly setup)
Set a fixed window (e.g., 6, 8, or 10 minutes).
Ask your child to attempt as many questions as possible with accuracy first, then speed.
Record: Question attempted / Question correct/incorrect (tick/cross) / Time taken.
Immediately reflect: Where did time go? Which step caused hesitation?
How to run a mixed drill
Prepare 10–12 questions covering different topics (word problems, short structured, a quick geometry calculation).
Set one continuous time block (e.g., 20 minutes).
Enforce a hard pass rule: if a question exceeds 2 minutes without progress, mark it, skip it, and return at the end.
Sample Drill Sets
Below are ready-to-use models you can recreate :
Timed Drill A — Fractions & Ratio (8 minutes)
4 quick conversions (mixed to improper or unlike denominators)
2 “fraction of a quantity” with unit changes
2 ratio scaling questions (increase/decrease parts; total fixed)
Timed Drill B — Percentages (8 minutes)
2 percentage-of-quantity
2 increase/decrease
2 reverse percentage (work backwards)
1 GST/discount combo (compact numbers)
Timed Drill C — Speed/Rate & Units (6 minutes)
2 distance–speed–time conversions (ensure units consistent)
1 average speed across segments
1 “same start/different rates” mini
Mixed Drill Set — Paper-2 Snapshot (20 minutes)
2 short-answer arithmetic (fractions/percentages)
1 geometry perimeter/area with a twist (missing side)
1 bar-model ratio comparison
1 rate question
1 simple algebra translation
1 multi-step word problem combining ratio + percentage
Tracking Progress
Speed and accuracy improve when students measure them. Use a simple table like this in a notebook or spreadsheet:
Date / Drill name / Time allowed / Attempted / Correct / Error type / Note-to-self
Common types of error (tick one each time):
Misread question (translation)
Wrong operation (strategy)
Calculation slip (execution)
Units/rounding error (presentation)
Ran out of time (timing)
At the end of each week, look for patterns. If “translation” errors dominate, practise problem rephrasing (underline keywords; rewrite the ask). If “execution” slips dominate, add 30-second checks (see below). If timing is the issue, repeat the same drill set at a shorter time to build pace. This will help build clarity and improvement over time.
The 30-Second Check
👨🏫 Exam Coach Top Tip: when an answer is found, spend 30 seconds to verify two things:
Does the answer seem reasonable? (ballpark sense-check)
Are the requirements met? (units, simplest form, question fully answered)
Over a 20-minute set, this adds only 2–3 minutes and can save multiple marks. You’d be suprised by how many students miss out on easy marks they could have got if they’d just checked their workings.
Weekly cadence that works
Mon / Wed / Fri: One timed drill (6–10 min) + 30-second checks after each Q.
Sat: One mixed set (20 min) + 5 min review + 10 min redo of 2 missed questions.
Sun: Light review; update progress log.
Common Pitfalls
❎ Racing without setup.
Students jump into calculation before translating the problem. Fix: underline the ask, circle numbers, and jot a one-line plan (“Find total, then 3/5 of it.”).
❎ Calculator over-reliance (when allowed).
Pressing faster ≠ thinking faster. Fix: estimate first; if the final differs wildly from your estimate, re-check.
❎ Unit traps.
Metres vs centimetres, minutes vs hours. Fix: convert upfront and write units next to interim results.
❎ Skipping the diagram/model.
Bar models and quick sketches save time on ratio and geometry. Fix: adopt a “draw first” rule for multi-step items.
❎ Not returning to skipped questions.
A missing final step (e.g., simplest form or unit) is easy to fix — if you see it. Fix: budget 3–5 minutes at the end to scan for empty boxes and unit prompts.
❎ Practising only “favourite” topics.
Speed suffers when switching topics. Fix: prioritise mixed drills twice a week.
