Soundcheck is a single-player game mode that emulates the Multiplication Tables Check ("MTC"). The MTC is England’s Department for Education statutory test for Year 4 students, designed to assess their fluency with times tables. The test is taken at the beginning of June during school time.
Playing Soundcheck helps students prepare for the MTC in a low-pressure way, while score analysis helps teachers assess readiness.
It is available as a practice tool for all students, not just Year 4s.
Game Format:
All Soundcheck games have:
25 questions;
5 coins for each correct answer;
6-second time limit per question;
no division questions;
evenly weighted questions which match the real MTC weighting, which is:
Two times table – between 0 and 2 questions
Three times table – between 1 and 3 questions
Four times table – between 1 and 3 questions
Five times table – between 1 and 3 questions
Six times table – between 2 and 4 questions
Seven times table – between 2 and 4 questions
Eight times table – between 2 and 4 questions
Nine times table – between 2 and 4 questions
Ten times table – between 0 and 2 questions
Eleven times table – between 1 and 3 questionsTwelve times table – between 2 and 4 questions
"Regular" and "MTC Mode" Soundcheck
Soundcheck has two modes. As the teacher, you can select which mode each student will see.
Regular | MTC Mode |
Designed to look like a regular, colourful and fun TTRS game. | Designed to look like the real MTC, with a black and white colour scheme: |
Students will see the correct answer flash on screen if they get something incorrect. | Corrections for incorrect answers are only shown at the end of the game. |
No access arrangements. | Access arrangements can be turned on for specific students (creates a pause between questions). |
Keypad can be 1,2,3 at the top, or inverted to 7,8,9 at the top. | Keypad is fixed with 1,2,3 at the top. |
How to turn MTC Mode (and access arrangements) on and off:
You decide which students have MTC Mode switched on, and you can change this at any time. It’s not automatically tied to a student’s year group — you’re in control.
Click Stats > Choose your class
Click Soundcheck
Click MTC Mode Controls as shown:
Turn MTC Mode on using the toggle. To add access arrangements (pause between questions) ensure both toggles are turned on.
In the example above, both students have MTC Mode switched on, but only Ben will have a pause between each question, requiring him to click "Next Question" to move on.
Tip 1: The Access Arrangements setting affects both Soundcheck (if in MTC Mode) and the OUMTC. So, you only need to set the setting once, to enable access arrangements in both Soundcheck, and the OUMTC.
Tip 2: You can use MTC Mode to support more than just Year 4.
Year 3: If you begin MTC prep in your summer term, switch on MTC Mode to help students build familiarity with the test.
Year 5 & 6: Turn on MTC Mode to support assessment of fluency retention by comparing scores with Year 4 MTC outcomes.
Important: If you have enrolled in the OUMTC (TT Rock Star's mock MTC assessments), MTC Mode will be automatically turned on for students currently set as Year 4.
If you prefer that Year 4 students see the regular version of Soundcheck, simply visit the MTC Mode Controls area of Soundcheck and toggle it off.
Soundcheck Results and Analysis:
All Soundcheck games played are recorded and will allow you to assess their MTC-readiness.
Sessions:
If you have the Sessions bolt-on, you can set your students the task of playing a certain number of Soundcheck games on a regular basis. We advise 1 - 2 Soundchecks a week from January, and perhaps 3 a week as you get closer to the MTC in June.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What happens in MTC Mode if a student has chosen an accessibility colour theme (e.g. blue text on cream background)?
What happens in MTC Mode if a student has chosen an accessibility colour theme (e.g. blue text on cream background)?
Even if MTC Mode is switched on, the game will maintain the accessibility colour theme, rather than being black and white.