Number Sense Trainer

What is Number Sense

UIL Number Sense is one of the three Math UIL competitions. It is a 10 minute, 80 question mental math exam built on tricks meant to trivialize problems so they can be solved mentally in seconds. Each question should take 7.5 seconds, and competitors are not allowed any scratch paper or calculators.

The purpose

The purpose of this website is to provide a unified platform for students to both learn and practice, while also allowing them to track their progress. Students often are split between randomly ordered problem sets to practice and pdfs or textbooks to learn techniques. This website helps avoid that by allowing students to learn and practice in one place. Students can also solve targeted practice problems, to focus on enhancing the skill they are currently learning. This allows for much more rapid score improvement than general practice.

The topic page for the multiplying by 11 trick, showing the written explanation and a worked example of 523 times 11 broken down digit by digit.

A practice question: Calculate 11 times 87, with an answer field, a running timer, a question counter reading 1 of 10, an Answer button and a link to show the trick.

Learning and practice

There are 128 different modules on the website, broken down into 5 categories to match official Number Sense test breakdowns. Each module begins with an explanation of the technique the module discusses, with a worked example. There is then a problem set for students to work through, where they get instant feedback on their speed and accuracy. Students are able to customize the length of the problem set.

The trainer's home screen: a header reading 80 questions, 10 minutes, 7.5 seconds each, a button to take a full test, a count of 128 topics and 128,000 questions, filters for all, not started, in progress and weakest, and the start of the multiplication tricks section listing topics such as the multiplying by 11 trick and squares ending in 5, each with 1000 questions.

Mocking and scoring

Students have the ability to take practice tests, built to mirror real ones. The test follows the same structure as real tests, with a built in timer and auto-grading at the end. Mock test results are saved to a stats page where students are able to see their progress over time and specific modules they are weak in.

The full test screen, listing the contest rules: answer in order, plus five for correct and minus four for wrong, skipped questions costing four only if you answer later, and eight starred problems accepting any answer within 5%.

A mock test in progress: question 6 of 80 with the clock at 9:55, the problem 1140 squared plus 1141 squared, an answer field, and buttons to answer, skip or stop here.

The review screen after a mock test scoring 288 points: 60 correct, 3 wrong, none skipped and 17 left unscored past the last answer, with 95% accuracy, question 63 reached and a 5.8 second pace, then the three topics that lost points.

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