Years 1–9Beat the clock

Beat the clock: quick-fire practice with a record to beat

Written by A Dagdelen · Reviewed

Beat the clock gives your child one, two or three minutes to answer as many questions as they can. Only right answers count, and the best score for each length of time is kept, so there is always a record to beat.

Photo: Peter Yost on Unsplash

  • 1, 2 or 3minutes on the clock
  • Right answersare the only ones that count
  • A best scorekept for each length of time
  • Mixed or one subjectyour child chooses

How it works

  1. Pick the subject and the time. Your child can choose one subject or Mixed, then a minute, two minutes or three. Two minutes is a good place to start.
  2. Only right answers count. Wrong answers do not score and do not take anything away. The point is to keep moving and to answer what they know quickly.
  3. When the clock stops, the quiz ends. The quiz finishes with whatever has been answered, and the score is the number of right answers.
  4. There is always a record. Your child's best score for each length of time is shown on the card, such as Best: 12 in 2 min, so the aim is simply to beat last time.
  5. It suits facts they already know. Speed practice works best on things your child can mostly do, such as number facts or key words. For new topics, a lesson or a quiz with no clock is kinder.

How to use it at home

Race themselves, not each other

The record to beat is their own. Comparing with a sibling can turn it into a worry.

Use it as a warm-up

A two-minute round before homework gets a child into answering mode.

Choose a subject they enjoy

Speed practice is a treat when the subject feels easy, and a chore when it does not.

Stop on a good one

End after a score they are pleased with. Playing until they do badly teaches the wrong lesson.

Practise and explore on Quizo School

Questions parents ask

Is Beat the clock free?

It is part of the Family plan. New families get the Family plan free for 14 days, with no card needed.

Does a wrong answer lose points?

No. Only right answers count.

Will it make my child anxious?

Some children love a clock and some do not. Start with three minutes, which gives the most room, and let them choose. If it stresses them, quizzes without a clock work just as well.

Is it the same as the Year 4 times tables check?

No. Beat the clock covers any subject. For the check, use times tables practice, which is built around the number pad and the seconds per question.

Set a first record

New families get the Family plan free for 14 days, with no card needed. Make a profile and the clock is ready.

Start free
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