Kangaroo-Style Math Practice, Grades 5-6, Set 5

About this practice set

Six original contest-style math problems for grades 5-6 with answer choices A to E, worth 3, 4 and 5 points, plus an answer key that explains every solution. Topics: counting, counting shapes, division, fractions, logic, patterns. The problems are written for grades 5 and 6 and need careful reading and a bit of algebra-style thinking. After checking answers, try to explain each solution in your own words.

On this sheet

two are worth 3 points, the next two 4 points and the last two 5 points. 26 children go on a trip. Each van can take 5 children. What is the smallest number of vans they need? A row of 3 squares needs 10 matchsticks, as shown. How many matchsticks are needed for a row of 12 squares? In a chess club, 7 players each play exactly one game against every other player.

Tips for using it

• Shade the parts lightly with a colored pencil to see each fraction.
• Fold a strip of paper into equal parts to check a tricky one.
• Give about 3 to 4 minutes per problem, like in a real contest.
• Read every problem twice: contest questions often hide the key detail in one word.

Printing tips

Download the PDF and print at 100% (or “fit to page” on A4). Page 1 is the practice set and page 2 is the answer key with the answers in red; print just page 1 if you want to keep the answers for checking. The PNG shows page 1 only. Free for personal, family and classroom use.