Flash
Numbers appear on screen one at a time and vanish. Nothing can be re-read, so the running total has to be held mentally from the first digit to the last.
Two hundred questions. Eight minutes. Nine categories. This is the format abacus and mental-arithmetic contests run on, and the format Kani Math lets students rehearse as many times as they like.
Kani Math simulates this format for practice. We do not organise, accredit, or represent any competition body, and this page is not an entry route to any event.
Every category is the same length — 200 questions in 8 minutes — but the arithmetic and the marks differ. Correct answers earn their marks; wrong and blank answers score zero, with no penalty either way.
| Cat. | Level | What is on the paper | Marks | Abacus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Basic | Single-digit addition and subtraction, 3 to 7 rows | 400 | Allowed |
| B | Elementary A | One and two digits, up to 9 rows | 400 | Allowed |
| C | Elementary B | Two-digit work at higher row counts | 400 | Allowed |
| D | Intermediate A | Add and subtract, plus multiplication and division | 300 | Mental only |
| E | Intermediate B | Wider operands across all three operation types | 300 | Mental only |
| F | Higher A | Multi-digit multiplication and division | 300 | Mental only |
| G | Higher B | Longer columns and wider factors throughout | 300 | Mental only |
| H | Advanced | Introduces one-decimal-place operands | 300 | Mental only |
| I | Grand & graduates | The full paper at graduate difficulty, decimals included | 300 | Mental only |
Categories A to C are worth 400 marks and are pure addition and subtraction at 2 marks each. From D onwards the paper totals 300 marks and adds multiplication and division at 1 mark each — and the physical abacus is put away.
Alongside the written paper are two elimination contests. They share one ladder of 18 stages, one question per stage, addition and subtraction only, with 10 seconds to answer after the cue. The first wrong, blank, or late answer ends the run.
Numbers appear on screen one at a time and vanish. Nothing can be re-read, so the running total has to be held mentally from the first digit to the last.
Numbers are spoken aloud and never shown. Harder than flash for most students, because the sound leaves no visual trace to lean on.
Contest speed is built from ordinary practice, not from repeating the exam. Start with the technique the category actually tests.
Free practice pages for every step of the ladder — complements, multi-row columns, multiplication, division.
Open →Print a worksheet with a matching answer key and practise away from a screen, the way the written paper is actually sat.
Open →The free placement exam recommends a level in about five minutes, which maps straight onto a category.
Open →The simulator runs any category end to end on the clock, marks it, and can print the same paper for offline practice. A free profile is needed to save a result.
Open the simulator ↗