Speed Maths: Easy Tricks for Faster Multiplication

Are You Approaching Competitive Exams the Right Way?

Many candidates believe that the key to clearing a competitive exam is simply solving all the questions. But is that really the best approach? Let’s break down common strategies and see what works best:

• Solve every question carefully? – It sounds ideal, but spending too much time on each question can leave you with unanswered ones.
• Attempt all questions for a high score? – Risky! If there’s negative marking, blind guessing can hurt your score.
• Use a calculator for accuracy? – Many exams don’t permit calculators.
• Finish before everyone else? – Speed is good, but rushing can lead to mistakes.

The Golden Rule: Solve Questions Quickly and Effortlessly

The real trick is to develop mental math skills that help you solve problems without relying on pen, paper, or calculators. In this article, we’ll explore shortcut multiplication techniques to make calculations faster and more efficient.

Multiplication Tricks for Competitive Exams

Multiplication by 5

Instead of directly multiplying by 5, use this simple trick:

• Since 5 = 10/2, first divide the number by 2, then multiply by 10.

Example:

• 4386 × 5 = (4386 ÷ 2) × 10 = 2193 × 10 = 21,930

Multiplication by 25

Since 25 = 100/4, divide the number by 4 and multiply by 100.

Example:

• 4386 × 25 = (4386 ÷ 4) × 100 = 1096.5 × 100 = 109,650

Multiplication by 75

Since 75 = 25 × 3, use the trick for multiplying by 25 and then multiply the result by 3.

Example:

• 48 × 75 = (48 ÷ 4) × 300 = 12 × 300 = 3,600

Multiplication by 125

Since 125 = 1000/8, divide the number by 8 and then multiply by 1000.

Example:

• 8672 × 125 = (8672 ÷ 8) × 1000 = 1084 × 1000 = 1,084,000

Multiplication by 98 (Numbers Close to 100)

Since 98 = 100 – 2, multiply the number by 100 and then subtract twice the number.

Example:

• 864 × 98 = (864 × 100) – (864 × 2) = 86,400 – 1,728 = 84,672

Multiplication by 102 (Numbers Slightly Above 100)

Since 102 = 100 + 2, multiply the number by 100 and then add twice the number.

Example:

• 864 × 102 = (864 × 100) + (864 × 2) = 86,400 + 1,728 = 88,128

Now It’s Your Turn!

Try these calculations using the methods above:

1. 58,762 × 5 = ?
2. 4,928 × 25 = ?
3. 7,364 × 75 = ?

Drop your answers in the comments below! Let’s see who gets them right.

Final Thoughts

By mastering these shortcut techniques, you can significantly speed up your calculations, save time in exams, and improve accuracy. Mental math isn’t just a skill—it’s a game-changer!