Use Free Multiplication Worksheets as Diagnostic Tools

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As discussed in my blog post, knowing multiplication facts is a must! And some students have a harder time than others in memorizing these multiplication products. You can use flash cards, but I found a more effective tool to be multiplication worksheets that the teacher (or another student or sibling) uses to quiz the other person. (You can download an Excel version or PDF version of these free multiplication worksheets here or at the links below. As multiplication facts are quizzed in a random manner, the fact is either crossed off (if answered correctly) or circled if answered incorrectly. The pattern of circles will then allow you to refine your review by skipping known facts and working on problem areas. An example of a multiplication worksheet that was actually used is shown below. From the completed worksheet at the bottom, we can conclude the following:

The student appears to have all the 2x facts and 5x facts down. After one or two more perfect scores of these facts we can skip them in the future.
The student has difficulty with 6x facts. This is revealed by the fact that 6 of the 10 errors involved multiplication by 6.
The student has difficulty with 8x facts and 9x facts and should specifically review these.

Note: We skipped the 1x, x1, 10x, and x10 facts since the student had these down already.

Using this method, we can completely cover the multiplication facts in a random manner and get a good idea of what needs more work and also determine which facts may be skipped in future tests. Feel free to download a copy of these facts at the links below:

Multiplication Facts - Excel Version (editable)

Multiplication Facts - PDF Version

Worksheet With No Answers - PDF Version

Worksheet With No Answers - Excel Version