With the 11+ exams fast approaching, my students are putting the finishing touches on their 11+ maths knowledge. There are certain key facts that it's difficult to do without. I've collected a few of them in this post.
The angle between hours on a normal clock is 30º
1000cm³ = 1 litre 1m³ = 1,000,000cm³ (this one always catches people out)
60 seconds in a minute; 60 minutes in an hour;
24 hours in a day; 52 weeks in a year; 365 days in a year. (4.35 weeks in a month)
1km = 1000m 100cm = 1m 10mm = 1cm
Imagine you are given some input and outputs (as below) and asked to find the rule for the number machine. You should do the following:
Find the volume and surface area of a 9x8x4cm cuboid.
Volume = 9x8x4 = 288cm³ (multiply all dimensions together)
Surface Area = you need to think about the net of your cuboid. The net will be made out of 3 pairs of identical rectangles, as shown below.
So surface area = (9x8 + 9x4 + 8x4) x2 = (72+36+32)x2 = 140x2 = 280cm²
Memorise the first few primes: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31.
Memorise the first few square numbers: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100, 121, 144, 169, 196, 225.
Memorise the first few cube numbers: 1, 8, 27, 64, 125
Make sure you can express numbers as products of their prime factors; there's a guide to prime factors for 11+ in this blog post.
For extra credit, you should also take a look at these resources:
- Advanced uses of prime factors.
- Challenging maths questions - make sure to only look at the ones for 11+.
Conclusion:
Knowing these facts will not guarantee you success at 11+. There is plenty more to know, and the ability to problem solve under pressure is crucial too. Nevertheless, running through this list should be very helpful.