Mental Math Multiplication – Timed Shortcut Drills

How it works

These mental math multiplication drills each train one shortcut: double twice for times 4, ten times plus half for times 15, through 100 for times 99. Type each answer; the score is correct answers a minute.

Read the full guide

Shortcuts by group

The Drill menu is under More options. Doubling covers times 2, 4 and 8. Tens covers times 10 and 100, products like 60 × 8, and times 20, 30 and 50. Near a round number goes through 10, 20 or 100 for times 12, 15, 19, 21, 99 and 101.

2 digit multiplication: mental math in three drills

Two digits times 6, 7, 8 or 9 splits the number at the tens. Two numbers from 12 to 19 has a shortcut of its own. Full two-digit products splits one number: 43 × 32 is 1,290 + 86 = 1,376.

Questions and answers

How do you do multiplication in your head?

Turn the problem into easier ones. Times 4 is double twice, times 15 is ten times plus half of that, and times 99 is a hundred times less the number once: 47 × 99 is 4,700 − 47 = 4,653.

What is the shortcut for multiplying two teens?

Add the ones digit of one number to the other number, multiply by ten, then add the two ones digits multiplied. For 17 × 16: 17 + 6 = 23, ten times that is 230, and 7 × 6 = 42 more gives 272.

Are the times tables on this page?

Not as drills of their own. A few table facts turn up inside wider drills, such as 12 × 8. Times tables 2 to 9 and Times tables to 12 are on mental math practice, under Multiplication.

All 15 drills

Doubling 3

Doubles of 11 to 99 Double the tens, double the ones, add: 47 × 2 is 80 + 14 = 94.
Times 4: double twice Double, then double again: 38 × 4 is 76, then 152.
Times 8: double three times Three doubles: 27 × 8 goes 54, 108, 216.

Tens 3

Move the digits: × 10 and × 100 Every digit shifts one place for 10 and two for 100, with zeros filling the end: 53 × 10 is 530, and 53 × 100 is 5,300.
Multiples of ten by 2 to 9 Use the table fact and write a zero after it: 60 × 8 is 6 × 8 = 48, so 480.
Times 20, 30 and 50 Times the digit, then times ten: 23 × 30 is 69 with a zero, 690. For 50, halve and add two zeros: 46 × 50 is 2,300.

Near a round number 4

Times 12: ten times plus double Ten of the number and two more of it: 34 × 12 is 340 + 68 = 408.
Times 15: ten times plus half Ten of the number, plus half of that again: 24 × 15 is 240 + 120 = 360.
Times 19 and 21 Go through 20: 26 × 19 is 520 − 26 = 494, and 26 × 21 is 520 + 26 = 546.
Times 99 and 101 Go through 100: 47 × 99 is 4,700 − 47 = 4,653, and 47 × 101 is 4,700 + 47 = 4,747.

Show all 15 drills (5 more)

Two digits 3

Full two-digit products Split one number into tens and ones: 43 × 32 is 43 × 30 = 1,290 and 43 × 2 = 86, so 1,376.
Two digits times 6, 7, 8 or 9 Split the number at the tens: 68 × 7 is 60 × 7 = 420 and 8 × 7 = 56, so 476.
Two numbers from 12 to 19 Add the ones digit of one number to the other, times ten, then add the two ones digits multiplied: 17 × 16 is 230 + 42 = 272.

Mixed 2

Big products mix Two digits times 6 to 9, two numbers from 12 to 19 and full two-digit products, in one run.
Times-a-digit warm-up Doubles, times 4 and multiples of ten by a digit, shuffled together.

How this list was compiled: Drills and notes written for this page in October 2026: every drill is a multiplication. Questions are generated in the browser from the number ranges stored with each drill and every answer is computed at that moment, so an answer key cannot be wrong; every answer is a whole number of zero or more. The worked example in each note and the ranges were checked by calculation on 2 October 2026. The methods are standard arithmetic, not facts taken from another site, and the page prints no average, grade or norm. Licence: own work