Teacher License Math 1 Study Plan: 1 to 6 Weeks by Standard Weights

Information last checked: 31 October 2026. Sources: the ETEC page for the Professional License Test for Educational Professions and the candidate guide for the Mathematics (Level 1) test. This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, the National Center for Assessment (Qiyas), the Ministry of Education or any government body.

In short: the Mathematics (Level 1) test is the test for primary-school maths teachers. It measures eleven standards, and four of them (geometry, algebra and functions, numbers, measurement) make up 70% of the questions. Calculators are not allowed. The plan: start with the free questions to see your score today, practise the weakest standards in order of weight, and finish with a full mock exam. Below is a plan for every length of time from one to six weeks.

Know what you will face

• Level 1, not Level 2: Level 1 is for teaching mathematics at primary stage, while the intermediate and secondary stages require Math 2. They are two separate tests with their own standards and weights, so do not study from a Level 2 plan (it has calculus and conic sections, which Level 1 does not). This is set out in the Level 1 mathematics teacher standards and the Ministry of Education's guide to specialisations for educational jobs (2025, p. 12).
• Questions: 88 multiple-choice questions, and our mock exams have the same number.
• Time: 120 minutes, about 80 seconds per question.
• No penalty for wrong answers: never leave a question blank. A score of 50 equals 44 correct answers, 70 equals 62, and 80 equals 71.
• No calculator: ETEC bans it in both the general and the specialized test.
• Your date: the last specialized-test window ran from 18 to 31 October 2026, and the next is expected in late January 2027. Pick the plan below closest to the number of weeks you have left (how to register).
• Your target: the license level is set by the lower of your specialized and general educational scores, together with qualification and experience, so do not neglect either. Aim for 50, 70 or 80 in both.

Where the questions go

These are the weights of the eleven standards from the specification table in the candidate guide (p. 7). The questions column is each standard's share of 88, the same split our mock exams use. The plans below follow these weights. What sits under each standard is in the standards and indicators guide.

Numbers, algebra, geometry and measurement take 63 of the 88 questions. Standards 6 to 11 (logic, teaching mathematics, problem solving, communication, modelling, reasoning) add up to 15 questions, and most of them are about reading and understanding rather than calculating.

6-week plan

Five days for new standards, one day to redo mistakes, one rest or light review day. Week 1 starts with the free questions as your baseline, and week 6 is for mock exams.

4-week plan

For those with a month left. It starts with the heaviest standards and bundles the small ones into one week. The pace is faster (about 40 to 50 questions a day), so take the free questions on day 1 to find your weakest standards and give them more time.

2-week plan

You cannot cover everything, so start with what gives you the most questions. Day 1 is the free questions, then order the standards by your score in them, not by the guide's order.

1. Day 1: the free questions, a look at your score in each standard, and the formula card.
2. Days 2 to 4: algebra and functions, then geometry (36 questions together), about 40 questions a day in practice mode.
3. Days 5 and 6: numbers and operations (16 questions), with mental arithmetic.
4. Day 7: measurement, then redo your mistakes.
5. Days 8 and 9: statistics and probability, then standards 6 to 11 in one reading session.
6. Days 10 to 14: follow "The final week" from the start.

If you have only one week left, make "The final week" your whole plan, and if you have never tried the questions before, begin with the free questions on day 1 instead of the full exam.

In every plan, open the practice area: it has 10 free questions, while the full question bank and the full exams come with paid access (prices).

Practise arithmetic without a calculator

You do not need a special talent, only small habits repeated. Give 10 minutes a day to the following from week 1, and try them on paper, not only in your head.

• Memorise ready tables: squares to 20, cubes to 10, powers of 2 up to 2^{10}=1024, and common fractions as decimals (such as \frac{1}{8}=0.125 and \frac{3}{8}=0.375).
• Split multiplication: 48\times25=48\times100\div4=1200, and 17\times 6=10\times6+7\times6.
• Percentages from 10%: 10% by moving the point, 5% is half of that, 15% is the sum, 25% is a quarter.
• Estimate before you solve: round to the nearest ten or hundred, compute roughly, then rule out options far from it. The last digit often separates two options.
• Check by substitution: in equations, put your answer into the original equation; with four options, substituting the options themselves can be quicker than solving.
• Cancel before you multiply: write the operation in symbols first. Example: \dfrac{36\times25}{15}=\dfrac{12\times25}{5}=60.

Formulas to memorise

Write them on a card and review it every morning, and try writing them from memory before you look.

• Percentage: part = rate \times whole, and percentage change =\dfrac{\text{new}-\text{old}}{\text{old}}\times100
• x=\dfrac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}, (a\pm b)^2=a^2\pm 2ab+b^2, and a^2-b^2=(a-b)(a+b)
• Slope m=\dfrac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}, the line y-y_1=m(x-x_1), and the distance between two points \sqrt{(x_2-x_1)^2+(y_2-y_1)^2}
• Distance from a point to a line \dfrac{|Ax_0+By_0+C|}{\sqrt{A^2+B^2}}, and Pythagoras a^2+b^2=c^2
• Triangle area \dfrac{1}{2}bh, trapezium \dfrac{1}{2}(a+b)h, circle \pi r^2 with circumference 2\pi r
• Cylinder V=\pi r^2h, cone V=\dfrac{1}{3}\pi r^2h, pyramid V=\dfrac{1}{3}Bh, prism V=Bh
• Statistics: mean \bar x=\dfrac{\sum x}{n}, range = largest - smallest, and the median is the middle value once sorted
• Counting: {}_nP_r=\dfrac{n!}{(n-r)!} and {}_nC_r=\dfrac{n!}{r!\,(n-r)!}
• Probability: P(A\cup B)=P(A)+P(B)-P(A\cap B), and for independent events P(A\cap B)=P(A)P(B)

The final week

1. Day 1: a full mock exam of 88 questions in 120 minutes, on paper with only a pen, no phone and no calculator. Record your score and the time per standard.
2. Day 2: redo every question you got wrong and write down the cause of each: a formula you forgot, a calculation slip, or a question you did not understand. Then do ten new questions from your weakest standard.
3. Days 3 and 4: your three weakest standards from the mock, with "weak spots" questions and redoing mistakes, plus ten minutes of mental arithmetic.
4. Day 5: a second timed full mock. Compare it with the first standard by standard; mistakes of the same type that remain are your real mistakes.
5. Day 6: only the mistakes from both mocks and the formula card. Do not start a new topic.
6. The day before the test: light review of no more than an hour, and enough sleep. Check your date and venue in your profile and that your ID is valid.

Common mistakes in maths questions

• Square roots: \sqrt{x^2}=|x|, not x, and solving x^2=9 gives x=\pm3.
• Dividing an inequality by a negative number: the sign flips: \(-2x>6\Rightarrow x<-3\).
• Square of a sum: (a+b)^2\neq a^2+b^2; the correct form is a^2+2ab+b^2.
• Divisor versus multiple: the GCD divides both numbers and the LCM is divisible by both; do not mix them up in sharing and repeating problems.
• Units: converting area or volume squares or cubes the ratio: 1\text{ m}^2=10000\text{ cm}^2.
• Probability: permutations when order matters, combinations when it does not; ask yourself whether changing the order changes the result.

This plan is our suggestion for organising your time and does not guarantee any score, and a mock exam result is an estimate of your readiness, not an official result. Start with practice by standard on algebra, geometry and numbers (52 of the 88 questions), and leave the full mock exam for the end of the plan.