Multiplying a multi-digit number by a single digit using the short multiplication method.
Where your child meets this in real life: Calculating costs (e.g., 6 items at £47 each), or finding totals of repeated quantities
Each SEAG paper has 28 maths questions. Questions 29 to 50 are multiple choice with five possible answers, and questions 51 to 56 need a short written answer. With 56 questions in 60 minutes across English and maths, that is about a minute per question.
SEAGReady breaks short multiplication into 2 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Multiply a multi-digit number by a single digit without carrying (e.g., 312 x 3)
Multiply a multi-digit number by a single digit with carrying (e.g., 47 x 6 or 478 x 6)
Try three free questions from our short multiplication course. They start easy and get harder, so you can see where your child's confidence runs out. If they manage the last one without a hint, this topic is probably secure. If not, the steps above show where to start.
A teacher orders 3 supply boxes for her class. Each box contains 213 pencils. How many pencils does she order altogether?
A minibus takes a P7 class on residential trips. It makes 6 return journeys to the outdoor centre, and each journey covers 89 kilometres. What is the total distance travelled?
Jack's dad is a farmer. He plants potatoes in 4 fields, with 2112 plants in each field. How many potato plants does he have altogether?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Sophie is unpacking 3 cartons. Each carton contains 312 pencils.
How many pencils are in the cartons altogether?
312 × 3
Write 312 with × 3 below, aligned on the right
Step 1 of 4
Sophie is unpacking 3 cartons. Each carton contains 312 pencils.
How many pencils are in the cartons altogether?
There are 936 pencils in the cartons altogether.
The key insight: Multiply each column separately - it's just times tables in disguise!
Common mix-up: 312 × 3 = 96 (only multiplying tens and ones). You must multiply ALL columns, including the hundreds digit.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in short multiplication, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with short multiplication? The real gap is often in one of these earlier topics.
Sitting the SEAG test this November? Read our last-month revision plan, Paper 1 vs Paper 2 and test day guide.
SEAGReady finds the exact step where your child gets stuck, teaches it with worked examples like the one above, and brings it back for review so it sticks.
Free to start · no card needed