Learning & Training

This directory contains many mental calculation articles, tools and resources to explore. There’s something here for everyone—from beginners to experts!

Good training tools are essential when training mental calculation—in fact, an important part of my role as a coach is to recommend the best training drills for my students.

For any queries, send me (Daniel Timms) a message.

📐 Advanced Methods

🧙 Psychology of Training

🏃‍♀️ Competition Preparation Resources

  • Official Memoriad Software: the main program “Memoriad Simulator” is the one used in the Memoriad competitions. Download this first, then optionally any of the other plugins listed on the same page for more training options. The main software trains all Mental Math and Memory events featured in past Memoriad events – although the flash anzan online training is a separate program.
  • Pegasus: Excel-based tool for generating practice questions for many calculation categories, and used in the Mind Sports Olympiad. Maintained by George Lane.
  • Mind Sports Olympiad (online): halfway down this page you’ll find a video simulator of the 2021 semi-final so you can try the questions and see what score you would have achieved!
  • Mind Sports Olympiad (traditional): the 2018 written paper with answers is available in PDF format
  • Junior Mental Calculation World Championship: main JMCWC resources page to prepare for this competition.
  • GMCA Simulators: a new online league is using these mental calculation simulators, which anyone can use to practise.

📆 Human Calendar Training

  • K-Train: very old HTML page for training calendar dates. Works only in Internet Explorer. Used by some of the most successful mental calendar calculators.
  • Calendar Trainer: browser-based trainer developed by memory champion Katie Kermode
  • MentalCal: iPhone app that trains you to calculate calendar dates, and provides global leaderboards. Download from iTunes here
  • Day of Week Genius: Android and iOS app with training to perform calendar calculations

⭐ Resources to Improve Mental Maths

⚽ Other Mental Calculation Games

🧠 Other Mind Sports

📰 Discussion Groups

🏆 Records and Results

📚 Books

  • Dead Reckoning: Ronald Doerfler’s book describes some intermediate and advanced calculation algorithms and short-cuts for multiplication, division, factorization, roots and logarithms.
  • The Mental Calculator’s Handbook: written by accomplished mental calculation competitors Robert Fountain and Jan van Koningsveld, this book explains many techniques—simple and advanced—in a clear and logical way.
  • The Secrets of Mental Math: one of the most respected books about learning Mental Math is written by Arthur Benjamin.
  • Mental Calculation, an Art, Apart: Willem Bouman’s book carries a wealth of knowledge and easy-to-follow detailed techniques -from one of the world’s leading mental calculators. ISBN: 9781731343444.