11+ Maths
Puzzle-style Maths questions — constraints, ordering, and multi-condition reasoning under timed conditions.
Logical Problems appears in 203 of our 571 ready papers (740 tagged questions). It averages 3.6 questions a paper worth about 2.21 marks each. The typical question allows around 1.4 min. It appears in 2 CSSE papers we hold.
Logical problems sit at the intersection of Maths and reasoning. Papers present grids of clues, ordering puzzles, or “who has which” constraints that need systematic working rather than a single formula. Strong calculators still lose marks here when they jump to a guess without eliminating options. The winning approach is slow and tidy: list possibilities, cross out contradictions, and only then commit. These questions repay practice because the method transfers across many paper styles — including independent-school papers that pack several conditions into one stem. Teach children to rewrite each clue as a short note, keep a clear working space, and never erase eliminations they might need later. If time is tight, mark the question and return with a fresh grid rather than forcing a half-finished answer. Accuracy beats speed on logic more than on almost any other Maths topic. Under timed 11+ conditions, children who pause to name the method before they calculate — and who check the form of the final answer — keep more marks than those who rush the first approach that comes to mind. Build that habit with short, mixed sets from real papers rather than endless textbook drills of one type.
A real tagged question from our catalogue — method included, not paywalled.
Ranked from our tagged catalogue — open a paper to practise the questions that actually test this topic.
Not sure whether logical problems is the problem? Mark any past paper on 11plusSolved and the report tells you which topics are costing marks — and how many.
