Mental Multiplication and Division

This is a practice bank for UCAT Quantitative Reasoning questions requiring quick mental multiplication and division. Work through the 20 questions under timed conditions (~30 seconds each) before reviewing your answers.

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Quick-Reference: Mental Multiplication Tricks

Technique	How it works	Example
x 5	Multiply by 10, divide by 2	48 x 5 = 480 / 2 = 240
x 25	Multiply by 100, divide by 4	36 x 25 = 3,600 / 4 = 900
x 11	Write the number, insert digit sums between	34 x 11 = 3(3+4)4 = 374
x 9	Multiply by 10, subtract once	27 x 9 = 270 - 27 = 243
Doubling/halving	Double one factor, halve the other	35 x 12 = 70 x 6 = 420
Partitioning	Split into easier parts	47 x 6 = (40 x 6) + (7 x 6) = 240 + 42 = 282

Mental Division Shortcuts

• Divide by 5: multiply by 2, divide by 10
• Divide by 4: halve twice
• Divide by 8: halve three times
• Divide by 25: multiply by 4, divide by 100

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Strategy

• Look for easy factor pairs before calculating
• Use estimation to check your answer is in the right ballpark
• If multiplication looks hard, try the doubling/halving technique
• Target: 30 seconds per question

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Practice

Complete the 20 assessment questions. Each requires mental multiplication or division.