How the Mathematical Usage test works
Facts you need, such as conversion factors and formulas, are printed at the start of the test. Each question then asks for a value, and you choose from five answers. The fifth is always N, meaning none of the four numbers given is correct.
The short form is 18 questions in 7 minutes, about 23 seconds each, and is the version in CAST 2009, MASS and the first POSS battery. The second POSS battery uses a long form of 46 questions in 17 minutes, split into formula conversion, algebra and word problems. SO/PD II has its own 16 questions in 17 minutes.
TVA lists the content: arithmetic with integers, decimals, fractions, primes, factors and percentages; basic algebra including ratios, exponents, unit conversions and solving for an unknown; and the perimeter, area and volume of simple shapes and solids. TVA provides a basic four-function calculator and does not let you bring your own; other utilities set their own rule.
How to work a Mathematical Usage question
At 23 seconds a question, method matters more than speed of hand:
- Find the fact you need in the printed list before you calculate. Most conversions need one or two of them.
- Estimate the size of the answer first, so a slipped decimal place stands out.
- Work the answer out yourself, then look for it among the options.
- If your answer is not there, check the calculation once. If it is still missing, choose N.
- Skip anything that needs more than two steps and come back to it after the quick ones.
Worked examples
Conversion, with “1 yard = 3 feet” and “1 foot = 12 inches” printed at the top. 4.5 yards = ? inches. a: 54. b: 108. c: 162. d: 168. N. 4.5 × 3 = 13.5 feet, and 13.5 × 12 = 162 inches. The answer is c.
When the answer is N. A tank holds 240 gallons and is 3/8 full. How many gallons are in it? a: 80. b: 96. c: 100. d: 150. N. 240 ÷ 8 = 30, and 30 × 3 = 90. Ninety is not listed, so the answer is N.
Tips for the real Mathematical Usage test
- Ask whether you will sit the short or the long form. Seven minutes and seventeen minutes need very different pacing.
- Learn common conversions by heart so you only glance at the printed list: feet, inches, yards, quarts, gallons, minutes and hours.
- Practise fractions and percentages without a calculator, since not every utility provides one.
- Do not avoid N. It is the right answer whenever your checked result is missing.
- Fill in every answer before time is called. Wrong answers cost nothing.
Practise Mathematical Usage on CogniPrep
Pick the short form (18 questions, 7 minutes) or the long form (46 questions, 17 minutes) at the start, and choose whether to have an on-screen calculator; it starts switched off. Each question has five answers with N last, and you can skip, return and change answers before handing in from the review grid. The score is the share of the whole form you got right, out of 100. The SO/PD II form is not offered, and the questions are our own.