Mental math isn't just about natural talent; it's about recognizing patterns. When playing Speed Math, you don't actually calculate every single digit. You use shortcuts.

Left-to-Right Calculation

In school, we are taught to calculate from right to left (ones column, then tens). But for mental math, especially subtraction and addition, left-to-right is faster because the most significant digit gives you an estimate instantly.
Example: 45 + 38. Think 40+30=70, then 5+8=13. 70+13=83.

The Streak Strategy

In our game, maintaining a streak is more valuable than rushing and risking errors. A wrong answer penalizes your score AND resets your streak bonus to zero. If you encounter a hard multiplication question (e.g., 12 × 13), take that extra half-second to be sure. The streak bonus later will make up for the time lost.

Pattern Recognition

• ×11 Trick: To multiply a two-digit number by 11, add the digits and place the sum in the middle. (e.g., 23 × 11 → 2 [2+3] 3 → 253).
• Ends in 5: Squaring numbers ending in 5 is easy. (Example: 35²). Multiply the first digit by itself + 1 (3 × 4 = 12), then append 25. Result: 1225.
• Division Estimates: For 144 ÷ 12, just recall your multiplication tables. If it doesn't end in the right digit (e.g., 2 × ? = 4), it's wrong.