PSLE Maths 2026: Question Formats and How to Prepare

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The PSLE Mathematics papers are about two months away. Many parents typically help their children to prepare for the exams by buying assessment books and downloading past-year exam papers.

Finding practice papers and questions is easy these days, so the real "skill" is knowing how to use these resources effectively.

Below, we will cover what you should be aware of for PSLE Maths: how the exam is structured, the topics to focus on, and how to approach problem sums.

We will focus on "standard" Mathematics, which most children take. Children on Foundation Mathematics sit a different paper, and you can read about both in our primary maths syllabus guide.

In this article

Jump to

How is the PSLE Maths exam structured?
Topics to focus on for 2026
How to approach problem sums
How to answer questions and hold on to marks
Where to find practice questions

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How is the PSLE Maths exam structured?

The exam is made up of two written papers, comprising three booklets, both held on the same day with a break in between.

Paper 1 1 h 10 min No calculator

Booklet A: 10 multiple-choice questions (1 mark each) and 8 multiple-choice questions (2 marks each).
Booklet B: 12 short-answer questions (2 marks each).

Paper 2 1 h 20 min Calculator allowed

5 short-answer questions (2 marks each) and 10 structured or long-answer questions (3, 4, or 5 marks each).

In total, the exam has 45 questions worth 100 marks. It lasts 2 h 30 min.

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Topics to focus on for 2026

These are the Primary 6 Standard Mathematics topics in the current syllabus, with a few things to watch out for:

Fractions (the four operations, including dividing by fractions)

Watch out: when adding or subtracting fractions, some children might add the numerators while the denominators are still different. The denominators have to be made the same first.

Percentage

Expressing a part of a whole as a percentage, relating percentage to fractions and decimals, and finding percentage change.

Watch out: two discounts do not simply add up. A 5% discount followed by a further 10% is not 15% off, because the second discount comes off the already reduced price.

Ratio

Ratio and fraction, equivalent ratios and fractions, comparing three quantities, and changing ratios.

Algebra, including simple linear equations

Watch out: it is easy to forget the "order of operations" when part of an expression is multiplied. For example, 6p + 3p × 2 is not the same as (6p + 3p) × 2, and your child should be aware of how to solve both.

Parent tip: have your child check the answer by putting the value back into the original equation.

Circles (area and circumference)

Also includes semicircles and quarter circles.

Volume of cube and cuboid

Also includes solid figures, nets, and the volume of liquids and of solids made up of cubes.

Watch out: when working out the top view of a solid, your child should picture looking straight down on it from the front.

Parent tip: to help your child picture solids and nets, build the shape with blocks and look at it from the top, front, and side, or make copies of the nets to cut out and fold.

Angles in geometric figures

Average

The exam also draws on maths foundations built in earlier years. For the full breakdown of every level, see our primary maths syllabus guide.

When your child does practice papers or questions, there are two things to note:

Skip speed questions. Speed is no longer in the syllabus, so your child will not be tested on it. You can recognise these questions because they involve distance, time, and how fast something travels.

Make sure algebra is covered. Solving simple linear equations is part of the current Primary 6 syllabus.

How to approach problem sums

A simple routine helps your child approach any problem:

Understand. Read the question carefully, and note what is given and what is being asked.

Plan. Decide on a strategy, such as drawing a model.

Solve. Work through the steps, writing each one down.

Check. Ask whether the answer makes sense and fits what the question asked.

Schools usually teach a set of problem-solving strategies called heuristics. These are some of the common strategies:

Draw a model. Bar models turn the words into a picture of parts and units, which makes many fraction, ratio, and percentage problems much clearer.
Draw a diagram. A quick sketch of the situation, such as a figure or a timeline, can make the numbers and how they relate easier to see. It is more general than a bar model, and suits problems where a picture helps more than the words.
Work backwards. When the end result is given, start from it and undo each step.
Guess and check. Try a sensible value, see how close it is, and adjust.
Look for a pattern. Some questions show a pattern that grows in a regular way, such as a row of triangles made from matchsticks, and ask about a much later step. Your child works out the first few, three sticks for one triangle, five for two, seven for three, sees that each new triangle adds two sticks, and uses that rule to reach a far larger case, such as 20 triangles, without drawing them all.
Make a systematic list. When a question asks for all the possible combinations, listing them in an orderly way, rather than at random, makes sure none are missed or repeated.
Make a supposition. Your child begins by assuming one thing is true, then adjusts it until everything fits. It helps with problems that mix two kinds of things, like working out how many chickens and how many rabbits there are when you are told the total number of heads and legs. It is sometimes called the assumption method.
Simplify the problem. When the numbers are large or awkward, trying the same problem with smaller, friendlier numbers first can reveal the method. Once your child sees what works, they apply the same steps to the real figures.
Use an equation. Your child can turn the information into an algebraic equation and solve it.

How to answer questions and hold on to marks

Beyond getting the right answer, a few habits may help your child to get a better score:

Time management

Have your child browse the whole paper at the start, to get a feel for what is there and which questions may take more time.

As a rough guide, about one minute per mark keeps the pace sensible. This is only a guide, not a strict rule.

Do the easier questions first. If one is taking too long, leave it, move on, and come back to it later.

Paper 1, Booklet A (multiple choice, no calculator)

Have your child write the chosen answer on the question paper, as well as shade the answer in the Optical Answer Sheet (OAS). This makes checking the paper easier later.

Shade the oval in the answer sheet immediately after completing each question. This lowers the chance of shading the wrong oval, or shading an answer against the wrong question number, which is easy to do when they're all left to the end.

If your child is unsure of an answer, they should rule out the options that are clearly wrong and pick the best of what remains, or work backwards by trying each option in the question. A reasoned choice is better than leaving a multiple-choice question blank.

Paper 1, Booklet B (short-answer, no calculator)

Show all working clearly and write the final answer in the answer blank provided.

Don't erase workings even for halfway attempts. Method marks may be awarded for correct working on its own.

Paper 2 (calculator allowed)

Show all working clearly and write the final answer in the answer blank provided.

For the problem sums, show the full solution and working clearly, so that both method marks and answer marks can be awarded.

Show every step taken, and don't erase workings. Method marks may be awarded even if the final answer is wrong.

Across both written papers

Keep measurement units consistent throughout the working, and make sure the final answer carries the correct unit.

Use the equal sign correctly, so each step is a true statement. For example, "half of the amount = $20" is correct, but "half = $20" is not.

After solving, have your child check that the answer makes sense for the situation. For example, a discount should leave an item costing less than its original price, so an answer that comes out higher means something has gone wrong.

Where to find practice questions

Our guide on where to get PSLE past-year and school papers covers where to buy or download these resources. A few pointers on using them well for maths:

Check alignment with the syllabus. When buying assessment books or downloading papers, choose those that are updated for 2026.
Pick papers at the right level. Your child should be able to attempt most of a paper, roughly 70 to 85 percent, without constant help. Signs a maths paper is too hard: they get stuck on most of the word problems, not just one or two, or leave more than half the paper blank.
Quality over quantity. More practice does help, but doing as many papers as possible isn't the aim in itself. If your child keeps getting a particular type of maths problem wrong, it's better to slow down and work on that.
Keep a clean copy for retesting. If your child made several mistakes, set the paper aside and have them try it again a week or two later. Some parents have their child record answers in a notebook rather than write on the paper, so the original stays clean for a second attempt.
Use full, timed papers closer to the exam. Later in the year, once most of the syllabus is covered, sitting a full paper under timed conditions builds stamina, time management, and familiarity with the flow of the real exam.

If your child is stuck on a question and no one at home can help, you can post it on our AskQ board, where members of our community may share how they would solve it. If you need more practice questions, you can also browse questions that others have already asked.

Want to talk to other parents about PSLE preparation? Join the conversation on the KiasuParents forum!