#numeracyskillstest

Trainee teachers revising for the numeracy skills test should get a friend to read out exam questions – this helps with mental arithmetic. Photograph: Graham Turner

Brush up basic skills with YouTube videos: A significant element of the test relies on basic number skills, particularly with fractions, decimals, percentages, rounding, large multiplication and long division. If you feel like your skills with these need improving use online YouTube videos to help consolidate methods. Often videos can prove more helpful than staring at a textbook. Hegarty Maths has some useful videos on the main principles.

Don't learn the information and then do the question: The best way to learn new maths is to attempt questions you cannot do and use this to guide you on the elements you need to look up. Finding out what you need to know before trying questions will waste precious time. Instead, work through a question and then look for more support when you hit a problem.

Check what the common mistakes are: When working through the practice tests spend time reading through the common mistakes section. Making mistakes in maths is good for the learning process, as long as you recognise a mistake and work out how to fix it. Your memory for new ideas will increase if you tackle mistakes and work on them by completing similar questions until you get them right.

Be careful about misinterpreting questions: The easiest way to drop marks is the classic error of misreading the question, usually by being too hasty. Listen carefully, take notes on the key elements and make sure you answer the question in the form required. When practising, every time that you make a mistake from misinterpretation, as opposed to an inability to do that question, put the question in a list and redo that entire list later on to ensure you are not making the same mistakes twice.

Get to grips with data: A significant element of the test relies on reading and interpreting data. You can find lots of support for this online. The section on statistics and probability on Hegarty Maths is useful for understanding data topics like two-way tables, averages, ranges, box and whisker plots.

Change your clocks: Most questions involving time in the exam tend to use the 24 hour clock. In the weeks running up to the exam, practise using this to help speed up your responses.

Rope in a friend: The online practise tests are great, but having someone read out the questions (as happens in the real exam) is also really helpful. It's particularly useful for the mental arithmetic elements of the exam. Get a friend to read out questions and make sure you answer them in the time you'd have in the exam. In the test, when the question is being read out for the first time, do the starting elements of the question. For example, write down the key facts and if it's a multi-step problem you might even be able to perform one or two of the steps. Then you can check your workings are sensible in the second reading. It helps you to relax by alleviating the time pressure you feel in the exam.

Recreate the exam: It's crucial you do practice tests under strict exam conditions in a room where you will not be disturbed. The only way you will be able to perform at the level you require is by learning the material and making sure you can do the questions under timed conditions. Collect as many practice papers as possible and do one a week in between sets of learning questions. Recording scores along the way is a good way of checking on how you're doing.

Keep an eye on the clock: A big factor that causes people to underperform is messing up the timing. The only way of alleviating this is by practising your mental arithmetic more. While revising for the exam, ban the use of a calculator in your everyday life and force yourself to rely on your brain for calculations. The brain, like any muscle, needs to be used regularly to perform at its best, so take every opportunity to do that and don't be ashamed to do some times tables practice if you are rusty – quick times tables skills are often the basis of most of the number questions.

Don't leave it to the last minute: Little and often is far better than cramming close to the exam. Make sure you book your exam week when you know you'll have plenty of time to prepare. For example, don't book your test for the Friday when your big formal observation is on the Wednesday before. Ideally, go for a half-term or a week when you're not in a school if you're doing a PGCE. The earlier you start, the less pressured you will feel. People often tend to panic when they feel the pressure of time. Don't make it harder than it needs to be.