Understanding index notation (powers) such as 2⁴ meaning 2 × 2 × 2 × 2, and evaluating simple powers.
Where your child meets this in real life: Scientific notation, computing powers of 10, understanding exponential growth
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 understand indices into 3 steps, taught in order so each skill builds on the last.
Write and evaluate squares and cubes using index notation (e.g., 5² = 5 × 5 = 25)
Evaluate powers beyond cubes using index notation (e.g., 2⁴ = 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16)
Recognise the pattern in powers of 10 and understand that any number to power 1 equals itself
Try three free questions from our understand indices 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.
Josh is learning about index notation. He sees 5 squared written as 5 with a small 2 above it. What does 5² equal?
Orla is working out 3⁴. What is the value?
Jack is comparing powers. He has calculated: 10² = 100, 2¹⁰ = 1,024, and 10¹ = 10. Which statement is correct?
This is the exact interactive worked example your child sees in SEAGReady. Step through it and watch the method build up.
Holly is learning about index notation in maths class. She sees the expression 4 squared written as 4 with a small 2 above it.
What does 4 squared mean, and what is its value?
4²
The small 2 is called the index or power
Step 1 of 5
Holly is learning about index notation in maths class. She sees the expression 4 squared written as 4 with a small 2 above it.
What does 4 squared mean, and what is its value?
4² = 16. The index 2 means we multiply 4 by itself.
The key insight: The small number tells you how many times to multiply, not what to multiply by!
Common mix-up: 4² = 8. Multiplying base by index (4 × 2 = 8) instead of multiplying the base by itself.
These are the misconceptions we see most often in understand indices, including the ones our practice questions are specifically designed to catch.
Struggling with understand indices? 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