What is the National Numeracy Challenge?
Free help to improve maths skills and confidence
The National Numeracy Challenge is a free, online learning tool designed to help you improve your everyday maths skills in manageable steps whilst building your number confidence.
Join over 500,000 adults who have registered to check their numeracy level and start improving their skills and confidence, anywhere, any time.
The National Numeracy Challenge is based on maths in the real world – at home, work or supporting children. It is free to the user, can be used on any device, including mobile phones and can be installed as an app – simply lookout for the 'install app' button when you visit the Challenge.
The Challenge has unique features, including:
- Numeracy skills check – a short one to get you started and a longer one to get an accurate gauge of your skills.
- Learning resources – to help you learn every skill you need to be numerate
- Attitudes resources – to help make learning maths a bit easier and less stressful
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Interactive content – such as videos from beneficiaries, quizzes, myth busters and tips
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Resource hubs – supporting children’s education, managing money and work
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Technology that adapts to your own individual learning level, with 300+ questions
What is the National Numeracy Challenge and how can it help you?
Watch a short video explaining the National Numeracy Challenge. You can start in just 10 minutes, and go at your own pace, when and wherever you like!
The National Numeracy Challenge is designed to give you an accurate picture of your everyday maths skills.
You start by registering and completing a quick-check of your skills, which highlights the areas you need to improve. You are shown how to do any questions you got wrong, so you're learning straight away!
The next step is to try again. By practising and improving you will see progress.
What do we mean by numeracy?
The National Numeracy Challenge is a free, online learning tool designed to help you improve your everyday maths skills in manageable steps whilst building your confidence along the way.
The Challenge online journey
Check your skills
Our checks are a confidential assessment of the user’s everyday maths skills and understanding. The assessment is adaptive; if you answer questions correctly, the questions will get harder, but if you answer incorrectly, they will get easier.
There are two types of check a 'quick-check' which only takes around 10mins and gives a rough idea of your level, and a full 'check-up' which is longer and will give a more accurate measure of your skills with areas to focus on.
See the topics you should improve
The results page shows the user what level they are working at and which areas they need to work on. Users can also see what questions they got wrong in their check, with tailor made resources for each question to teach you how to find the right answer.
We also have confidence building resources in the Challenge. Using practical insights from our work with adults to help you overcome any mental barriers you have to getting on with numbers.
Learn
Users are then guided towards appropriate learning resources online and advised where they can access adult education classes if they prefer. They are led through a personalised learning plan with links to online learning tools which cover the topics they need to work on.
Take another check
When they feel ready, users can take another skills check to see how much they have improved and if they have got the Essentials of Numeracy. If they have not reached their target or wish to progress to another level, they can carry on learning using the Challenge learning resources and take checks along the way to see how they're progressing.
We've already helped thousands of adults to improve. Why not give it a go?
What data do we gather and why?
Name and email address: The National Numeracy Challenge is a personalised learning journey that tailors to you. To save your progress we need an account to save it to. Your email address and name give us the essential data to make an account along with a password you create. We aren't ever able to see your password and will only use your email address to send messages to you about your learning journey unless you specifically opt in to other additional emails.
You can get more detail in section 2F of our privacy policy
