How the Basic Math Calculations test works
Every question is a bare equation with no story around it. The blank can sit anywhere: as the answer, as one of the numbers being added or subtracted, or as a factor or divisor. You type the number and press Next, one question per screen, against one 10-minute clock.
Most questions need one operation. Some need two, such as a product on one side of the equals sign and a multiple of the blank on the other. TestGorilla rates the test Entry-level, offers it in English and suggests it for retail, hospitality, call centre, data entry and warehouse roles.
Typed answers are marked on an exact match, so there is no lucky guess and no option to work backwards from.
How to find the missing number
Use the inverse operation and then check:
- Find where the blank is. If it is the result, just calculate.
- Missing number in an addition: subtract the known part from the total. Missing number in a subtraction: if it is the first number, add; if it is the second, subtract the result from the first.
- Missing factor: divide the product by the known factor. Missing divisor: divide the number being divided by the answer.
- With numbers on both sides, work out the complete side first, then solve the side with the blank.
- Put your answer into the blank and check that both sides match before you press Next.
Worked examples
? − 248 = 379. The blank is the first number, so add: 379 + 248 = 627. Check: 627 − 248 = 379.
36 × 25 = 9 × ?. The left side is 900, and 900 ÷ 9 = 100. Quicker: 36 is 9 × 4, so the blank is 4 × 25 = 100 without working out 900 at all.
864 ÷ ? = 24. Divide 864 by 24 to get 36. Check: 24 × 36 = 720 + 144 = 864.
Tips for the real Basic Math Calculations test
- Keep a calculator on the desk. TestGorilla allows a calculator, pen and paper, though mental arithmetic is often quicker for one-step sums.
- Type digits only: no spaces, units or commas. An answer that does not match exactly is marked wrong.
- Always type your best answer. A blank is scored the same as a wrong one.
- Most wrong answers here are slips in carrying or copying, so write the number down before typing it.
- The question count is not published, so keep an eye on the clock rather than pacing to a fixed number.
Practise Basic Math Calculations on CogniPrep
TestGorilla does not publish the question count, so ours is 15 questions on one 10-minute clock, generated fresh each sitting across the four operations, with about one in five needing two steps. Every answer is typed. One question per screen, no going back and a blank marked wrong. You get a raw percentage and a percentile against CogniPrep players, with harder questions weighted more, plus feedback on each operation and on near misses such as swapped digits.