How to Take This Test
25 questions, 15 minutes. That is the pace of the real Tier 1 Maths section, about 36 seconds a question, so you will need the quick methods (the LCM of the times as the total work, time = work ÷ efficiency, man-days for groups, and signed rates for pipes, + for an inlet and − for an outlet or a leak) as well as the full working. Work and pipes questions come in no fixed order.
- Do it in one go with a 15-minute timer and no notes.
- Each right answer is +2 and each wrong one −0.50. A skipped question scores 0.
- An alternate-days or leaving-early question can eat two minutes. If one looks long, leave it and come back at the end, because getting stuck on it can cost you three quick ones.
- Check the explanations only once the timer has stopped.
Working out your score. Score = 2 × right − 0.5 × wrong, out of 50. So 20 right, 3 wrong and 2 skipped gives 40 − 1.5 = 38.5.
| Your score (out of 50) | What to do next |
|---|---|
| 40 or more | You are ready on this chapter. Do a PYQ Practice Set now and then so the units method stays quick. |
| 30 to 39.5 | The methods are right but one or two types still catch you, usually alternate days, leaving early or a pipe closed partway. Use the tags of your wrong and skipped questions to find the section, and redo its quiz. |
| 20 to 29.5 | You know what to do but it takes too long. Go through Shortcuts & Speed Methods, especially LCM units and working backwards from a leaving date, do Practice Sets 1 and 2, and take this test again after a few days. |
| Below 20 | Go back to the three topic sections, Time and Work: Rates, Efficiency and Working Together, Men-Days, Alternate Days and Work and Wages and Pipes and Cisterns, before you try more timed tests. |
The tag on each question tells you where to look: one person from the pair, three people, pair data, efficiency and time, leaving and joining, and part of the work are in Time and Work: Rates, Efficiency and Working Together; the chain rule, men leaving or joining, men, women and children, alternate days, turns and shifts, negative work, and work and wages are in Men-Days, Alternate Days and Work and Wages; and inlet and outlet, leaks, opening and closing times, alternate hours, capacity in litres and pipes together are in Pipes and Cisterns.
If more than 3 were wrong, you were probably going too fast, so slow down a little next time. On guessing, Chapter 0 works out that in Tier 1 even a blind guess is very slightly in your favour on average, and once you can rule out one option a guess is clearly worth making. In this chapter an option is often easy to rule out: with a leak or an outlet, any time shorter than the inlet's own time is wrong.