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GCSE · Last updated November 2026

GCSE Maths (9-1) Exam: free practice test

GCSE Maths is the core maths qualification taken at 16 in England and a requirement for most college courses, apprenticeships and jobs. It is assessed by three written papers of 1 hour 30 minutes at Foundation or Higher tier, covering number, algebra, ratio, geometry, probability and statistics. Exams run in May and June, with a November resit series for students aged 16 or over.

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About the GCSE Maths exam

GCSE Maths is the core maths qualification taken at 16 in England and a requirement for most college courses, apprenticeships and jobs. It is assessed by three written papers of 1 hour 30 minutes at Foundation or Higher tier, covering number, algebra, ratio, geometry, probability and statistics. Exams run in May and June, with a November resit series for students aged 16 or over.

What's on the exam

GCSE Maths
Number
8 key facts
Algebra
8 key facts
Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change
8 key facts
Geometry and Measures
8 key facts
Probability
8 key facts
Statistics
8 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the GCSE Maths exam

  • AQA and Edexcel papers have 80 marks in 90 minutes, a little over 1 minute per mark. A 4-mark question deserves about 4 to 5 minutes; if you have spent double that, move on and come back.
  • Show your working on every question worth 2 marks or more. Method marks are given even when the final answer is wrong, and a correct answer with no working can score zero on 'show that' questions.
  • On the non-calculator paper, practise written methods for long multiplication, division with decimals and fraction arithmetic until they are automatic. These are the marks most often lost to slips.
  • Read the last line of the question again before you write the answer: check the units, the rounding asked for (decimal places or significant figures) and whether it says 'give your answer in terms of π'.
  • Use the formulae sheet, but still learn the formulae it does not include, such as the area of a circle, Pythagoras' theorem and the trigonometric ratios.

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Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the GCSE Maths Formula Sheet.

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What's in the premium GCSE Maths prep

Premium GCSE Maths prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 50 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 6 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Number10 key notes, 135 flashcards, then 500 practice questions in 20 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Algebra10 key notes, 135 flashcards, then 500 practice questions in 20 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change10 key notes, 135 flashcards, then 500 practice questions in 20 sets of 25
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  4. 4
    Geometry and Measures10 key notes, 135 flashcards, then 500 practice questions in 20 sets of 25
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  5. 5
    Probability10 key notes, 130 flashcards, then 500 practice questions in 20 sets of 25
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  6. 6
    Statistics10 key notes, 130 flashcards, then 500 practice questions in 20 sets of 25
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  7. Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like exam day. Hit your target on them before your first paper.
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Read the complete GCSE Maths study notes for “Number”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 18 minutes of reading: Order of operations and negative numbers · Primes, factors, HCF and LCM · Fractions, decimals and percentages · Powers, roots and the index laws · Standard form · Rounding, estimation and bounds · Surds (Higher), a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organised topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready for exam day. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Write 360 as a product of its prime factors.
Answer: 2³ × 3² × 5. 360 = 2 × 180 = 2 × 2 × 90 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 45 = 2³ × 3 × 3 × 5 = 2³ × 3² × 5. Every factor must be prime, so 10, 45 and 12 are not allowed.
2. Work out the value of 27^(2/3).
Answer: 9. The denominator 3 means cube root and the numerator 2 means square: 27^(2/3) = (∛27)² = 3² = 9.
3. The length l of a pencil is 6.4 cm, correct to 1 decimal place. Which is the error interval for l?
Answer: 6.35 ≤ l < 6.45. Rounding to 1 decimal place means the value is within half of 0.1 (0.05) either side. The lower bound 6.35 is included and the upper bound 6.45 is not, because 6.45 would round to 6.5.
4. Solve x² + 5x + 6 = 0.
Answer: x = -2 or x = -3. Find two numbers that multiply to 6 and add to 5: 2 and 3. So (x + 2)(x + 3) = 0, giving x = -2 or x = -3. Remember to change the sign when you set each bracket equal to zero.
5. Expand and simplify (2x - 3)(x + 4).
Answer: 2x² + 5x - 12. Multiply every term: 2x × x = 2x², 2x × 4 = 8x, -3 × x = -3x, -3 × 4 = -12. Collect the x terms: 8x - 3x = 5x, so the answer is 2x² + 5x - 12.
6. What is the gradient of a line perpendicular to y = 2x + 1?
Answer: -1/2. Perpendicular gradients multiply to -1. The given gradient is 2, so the perpendicular gradient is -1 ÷ 2 = -1/2 (the negative reciprocal).
7. Find the nth term of the sequence 5, 8, 11, 14, ...
Answer: 3n + 2. The terms go up by 3, so the rule starts 3n. When n = 1, 3n = 3, but the first term is 5, so add 2: nth term = 3n + 2. Check: n = 4 gives 14.
8. £60 is shared between Amir and Beth in the ratio 2 : 3. How much does Beth get?
Answer: £36. There are 2 + 3 = 5 parts, so one part is £60 ÷ 5 = £12. Beth gets 3 parts: 3 × £12 = £36.
9. £800 is invested at 3% compound interest per year. What is it worth after 2 years?
Answer: £848.72. The multiplier for a 3% increase is 1.03. After 2 years: 800 × 1.03² = 800 × 1.0609 = £848.72. £848.00 is simple interest, which does not add interest on interest.
10. y is inversely proportional to x. When x = 4, y = 6. Find y when x = 8.
Answer: 3. Inverse proportion means y = k/x, so k = xy = 4 × 6 = 24. When x = 8, y = 24 ÷ 8 = 3. Doubling x halves y.
11. A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 13 cm and one shorter side of 5 cm. How long is the other side?
Answer: 12 cm. Pythagoras' theorem: a² + b² = c². The missing side is a shorter side, so subtract: b² = 13² - 5² = 169 - 25 = 144, b = √144 = 12 cm. Adding the squares (√194) only works when finding the hypotenuse.
12. What is the size of each interior angle of a regular hexagon?
Answer: 120°. Each exterior angle is 360° ÷ 6 = 60°, so each interior angle is 180° - 60° = 120°. (720° is the total of all six interior angles.)
13. A circle has a diameter of 10 cm. What is its area, in terms of π?
Answer: 25π cm². Area = πr², and the radius is half the diameter, 5 cm. So area = π × 5² = 25π cm². 100π comes from using the diameter by mistake, and 10π is the circumference.
14. The probability that it rains on any day is 0.3, independently of other days. What is the probability that it does not rain on either of the next two days?
Answer: 0.49. P(no rain on one day) = 1 - 0.3 = 0.7. For independent events multiply: 0.7 × 0.7 = 0.49. A probability can never be more than 1, so 1.4 is impossible.
15. The mean of four numbers is 7. A fifth number is added and the mean of all five numbers becomes 8. What is the fifth number?
Answer: 12. Total of the four numbers = 4 × 7 = 28. Total of the five numbers = 5 × 8 = 40. The fifth number is 40 - 28 = 12.

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Exam guide

GCSE Maths exam guide (2027): GCSE Maths (9-1) is taken by almost every student in England, and a grade 4 or above is the standard most colleges, employers and apprenticeships look for. Whichever board your school uses (AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR), you sit three written papers of 1 hour 30 minutes at either Foundation or Higher tier. This guide explains what is on each paper, how the tiers and grades work, and how to plan your revision for summer 2027.

GCSE Maths exam FAQ

How many questions are on the GCSE Maths exam?

AQA and Edexcel: 3 written papers, 80 marks each (240 marks in total). OCR: 3 papers of 100 marks each, with a time limit of 4 hours 30 minutes in total (3 × 1 hour 30 minutes). Format: written exam, foundation tier (grades 1 to 5) or higher tier (grades 4 to 9). aqa and edexcel: paper 1 non-calculator, papers 2 and 3 calculator. ocr: the middle paper of each tier is non-calculator. a formulae sheet is provided.

What is the passing score for GCSE Maths?

Grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 a strong pass. Boundaries are set after every exam series, so aim for 70% in practice.

How much does the GCSE Maths exam cost?

No fee for school and college students (the school pays). Private candidates pay the exam centre; fees vary by centre. School and college students don't pay exam fees themselves. Private candidates pay the exam centre, and fees vary by centre and board.

Which languages is the GCSE Maths exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the GCSE Maths exam?

At your school or college, or as a private candidate at an exam centre that accepts them.

Is this GCSE Maths practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full GCSE Maths prep is Premium at £29 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium GCSE Maths prep?

3,000 practice questions organised topic by topic (Number: 500; Algebra: 500; Ratio, Proportion and Rates of Change: 500; Geometry and Measures: 500; Probability: 500; Statistics: 500), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 50 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 6 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

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Exam details are summarised from the exam boards' published specifications available in November 2026. the exam boards changes formats and fees, so confirm with AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR before you book. Kennington College is not affiliated with any exam board or with Ofqual.

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