Every Saturday morning I help my two daughters with their numeracy homework. My younger daughter is still learning her basic mathematical operations and delights in adding up her pocket money. My elder daughter has moved on to fractions and decimals and, if there’s a packet of sweets to be shared, is quick to calculate everyone’s share. These are numeracy skills that they will be using for the rest of their lives and they are also the very skills you need in order to pass the lowest level ‘basic skills’ numerical reasoning test.

Although the term ‘numerical reasoning’ might sound daunting, you don’t need to be a mathematical genius in order to pass a test. But you do need to be able to accurately perform the numerical operations you learned in school under strictly timed conditions. Nobody is going to tell you off for not doing your homework but preparing for your numerical reasoning test is essential if passing determines the next step in your career or education.

Whether you are an experienced test-taker who uses numerical reasoning skills daily or a beginner who can’t remember how to do long division, you will benefit from preparing for your numerical reasoning test. While you might be tempted to jump ahead to Part 2 and start taking practice tests straight away I’d urge you to read Part 1 first. In addition to explaining what numerical reasoning tests are and how they are used, Part 1 aims to help you in three main ways: