Are you looking to pass the Numeracy Skills Test (QTS)?
What is the Numeracy Skills Test?
The Numeracy Skills Test (QTS) is one of the two tests that must be passed by anyone wanting to start teacher training.
Regardless of which subject you plan to teach, you need to pass the Literacy and Numeracy Skills Tests, to prove that you have the essential skills to become a teacher.
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"I was lacking confidence in maths and needed help to pass an exam. Nicola was a fantastic teacher and really helped to improve my technique and approach to maths problems. She is patient, understanding and friendly. I would highly recommend her as a tutor."
Morning lessons
I offer lessons in the day (9.30am / 10.45am) and these can be allocated on a regular or ‘ad hoc’ basis, depending on availability.
Check my bookings page for availability in the month ahead, or contact me if you are looking for a regular place / something further ahead.
Current availability for morning lessons:
'ad hoc' available now in the upcoming weeks
Contact me if interested.
What does the Numeracy Skills Test look like?
For the Numeracy Skills Test you will have 48 minutes to complete two sections: one with mental arithmetic and the other with written data / arithmetic questions.
All the questions are answered via a computer at a test centre.
Section 1: Mental Arithmetic
There are 12 questions in this section.
The questions are read out, via means of headphones. Don’t panic if you miss the all the information; the question is repeated.
You will have a short amount of time (18 seconds) to answer each question. If you do not answer it the question is marked as wrong and you will not get an opportunity to return to it.
Calculators are not allowed for the mental arithmetic section.
EXAMPLE of Mental Arithmetic question (non-calculator)
Section 2: Written Data and Arithmetic
There are 16 questions in this section.
The questions are shown on screen, and you can move forward and backward through questions in this section. It is advisable to work your way quickly through the ones that you can manage, and return to those that you find tricky.
An onscreen calculator is provided for this section.
EXAMPLE of Written Data and Arithmetic question (calculator)
What Areas of Numeracy are covered by the Numeracy Skills Test?
The follow areas of numeracy are covered by the Numeracy Skills Test:
• Averages
• Bar charts
• Box and whisker diagram
• Conversions
• Cumulative frequency
• Formulae
• Fractions, decimals and percentages
• Line graphs
• Pie-charts
• Proportion
• Range
• Ratio
• Scatter graphs
• Time
• Two-way tables
What is the Pass Mark for the Numeracy Skills Test?
The pass mark for the Numeracy Skills Test is around 65% (it can vary based on the difficulty of the questions). This equates to about 18 or 19 correct out of the 28 questions.
How can I help?
Whatever your background with maths, I can help. Maybe it’s been a long time since you were at school, or you were always “rubbish at maths”, or you just want some help brushing up on areas that you are not so confident with.
We can work together through example papers. Some students bring a book or other online test resources they have downloaded, and I have plenty of resources to hand, to practise areas you want to focus on.
My aim is to work directly with you, improve your confidence in any and all areas of the numeracy skills you need. Each lesson or group of lessons is designed specifically to work at your pace.
Thereafter it is down to practice, practice, practice!
More information can be found on the government’s Get Into Teaching website.
"Numeracy test passed today, thanks so much for all your help it paid off!"
My weekly timetable is often full with regular lessons from mid-afternoon onwards (I tutor children as well) but I have availability during the daytime / lunchtime etc, and some evenings for a few ad hoc lessons.
All lessons are bespoke to fit your needs. Lessons are online via Zoom, at £47 per hour. One or two lessons might be all you need, but I can tailor lessons for as many as you like to meet your goal.
You can see what immediate availability I have by checking out my Bookings page. It will only show for the next calendar month, but if you contact me we can make arrangements for a day and time that suits us both. A regular slot, if appropriate, can be arranged.
About Me
My name is Nicola Bhalerao and I am a private tutor based in Warwick. Since 2013, I have provided one-to-one tuition for children and adults. I specialise in maths tutoring, but cater for different requests, ranging from 11+ / entrance exams to various uses of maths, e.g. : interviews, job promotions, GCSE retakes, Functional Skills, nursing, teaching – any situation where confidence in maths is required.
My background is in computing, with a Computer Science degree from Warwick University. I have worked many years as a programmer, latterly in the games industry. Both my sons were tutored by me for the 11+ (they went to a local grammar school). I received training for teaching secondary school maths and I am fully CRB checked.
Read here for more information on tuition for your child or tuition for yourself or another adult.
"Nicola has been very supportive by helping me to fill in the blanks left over from my high school education. This has been crucial to improving my confidence in mathematics"
"I was lacking confidence in maths. Nicola was a fantastic teacher and really helped to improve my technique and approach to maths problems. She is patient, understanding and friendly"
"She was very friendly and professional. After a few sessions I felt much more confident in my ability and passed the numerical reasoning tests. She explains things very clearly"
"Nicola was a patient tutor, always helpful in answering any questions I had. I’d always found maths quite a scary subject, but through Nicola's tutoring I found I built confidence with the subject"
"Nicola has been very supportive by helping me to fill in the blanks left over from my high school education. This has been crucial to improving my confidence in mathematics"
"I was lacking confidence in maths. Nicola was a fantastic teacher and really helped to improve my technique and approach to maths problems. She is patient, understanding and friendly"
"She was very friendly and professional. After a few sessions I felt much more confident in my ability and passed the numerical reasoning tests. She explains things very clearly"
"Nicola was a patient tutor, always helpful in answering any questions I had. I’d always found maths quite a scary subject, but through Nicola's tutoring I found I built confidence with the subject"