Free Prep Simple patterns Quiz — 10 Questions, Instant Results

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Simple patterns in Prep maths

Here is the ground the questions cover. Patterns in Prep means copying, continuing and creating repeating patterns with colours, shapes, sounds and actions, identifying the part that repeats, and spotting a mistake in a pattern. The Victorian Curriculum treats this as the start of algebraic thinking, so the emphasis is on saying what the rule is.

The items are tagged to the Victorian Curriculum for Prep, so a score here reflects the standard a Prep class is working to, not a generic online level.

Mistakes we see most often in simple patterns

A wrong answer is more useful than a right one if you know why it happened. In sessions with Prep students, these are the patterns our tutors see most:

• Only two-item patterns (red, blue, red, blue) are recognised, so an AAB or ABC pattern is missed.
• The child cannot isolate the repeating unit and describes the whole sequence instead.
• An error inside a pattern is not noticed because the child reads it item by item.

None of these is a sign of low ability. Each is a reasonable idea that worked in an earlier year and needs replacing, which is exactly what a good explanation, or a tutor, does.

Ways to build simple patterns at Prep

If the quiz shows a gap, more of the same worksheets rarely fixes it. Try these instead:

1. Make a pattern with a deliberate mistake and have your child find it.
2. Ask your child to invent a pattern and tell you the rule.
3. Clap and stamp patterns for your child to copy and continue.

At this age, ten minutes of playful, concrete practice beats a worksheet. Use real objects, talk through what is happening and stop while it is still fun.

How this simple patterns quiz works

We keep 10 simple patterns questions for Prep that meet our standard, a few of them at the stretch tier so the set is full, and this page serves 10 of them at a time. The default set is stable, so a teacher or parent can share the link; a fresh set is one click away. Marking happens on our server so the answer key cannot be read from the page.

Because every question here is on simple patterns, a low score is a clear signal and a high score is genuinely reassuring for this topic. What it cannot tell you is whether the other Prep maths topics are equally secure, or how far above the year level the student can go; the free Skills Check covers both.

The quiz: 10 questions

Choose one answer for each question, then press Mark my answers. Set 81656 · New set of questions →

Question 1

Simple patterns

Pattern: clap, stamp, clap, stamp, then?

stamp spin clap jump

Question 2

Simple patterns

Look at this pattern: star, heart, heart, star, heart, heart, star, heart, heart. What is the rule for this pattern?

Two stars, then one heart, repeated One star, then two hearts, repeated Two hearts, then one star, repeated One star, then one heart, repeated

Question 3

Simple patterns

Counting pattern: 2, 4, 6, then?

8 10 5 7

Question 4

Simple patterns

Pattern: circle, square, circle, square, then?

star triangle circle square

Question 5

Simple patterns

Look at this pattern: 🔴🔵🔵🔴🔵🔵🔴🔵🔵. Which colour comes next?

Both red and blue Blue Red The pattern stops here

Question 6

Simple patterns

Mia is making a bead necklace. She puts beads in this order: yellow, yellow, green, yellow, yellow, green. She wants to add three more beads to keep the pattern going. What three beads should she add?

Yellow, green, yellow Yellow, yellow, yellow Green, yellow, yellow Yellow, yellow, green

Question 7

Simple patterns

Pattern: red, blue, red, blue, then?

red yellow blue green

Question 8

Simple patterns

Pattern: big, small, big, small, then?

small wide tall big

Question 9

Simple patterns

Pattern: cat, dog, cat, dog, cat, then?

bird fish dog cat

Question 10

Simple patterns

Here is a growing pattern: 🟦, 🟦🟦, 🟦🟦🟦, 🟦🟦🟦🟦. Tom says the next group will have 6 squares. Is Tom right?

Yes — the next group will have 6 squares No — the next group will have 5 squares No — the next group will have 4 squares No — the next group will have 7 squares

Mark my answers →

Your result

0 / 10

Take the free full Skills Check →   Try another set

How to read a score out of 10

9 or 10 out of 10

The easy and at-level content is secure. The useful question now is how far above the year level the student can go, which a ten-item quiz cannot show. The free Skills Check adds stretch and challenge questions on every topic so you can see the ceiling as well as the floor.

7 or 8 out of 10

Solid, with one or two specific gaps. Look at which topic the incorrect answers came from (the results panel names the weakest topic) and spend a week on that topic before re-testing with a different seed.

5 or 6 out of 10

Some core ideas are shaky. The pattern matters more than the score: two misses in the same topic is a gap; misses scattered across topics usually means reading the question too fast. Either way, the Skills Check will tell you which.

4 or fewer out of 10

Foundations from an earlier year are probably missing, which is common and fixable. Try the quiz one year level down to confirm, then talk to a tutor about a short catch-up plan rather than more of the same practice.

What to do with the result

Questions? Call 03 9509 3293 or book a free consultation. RHZ Tutoring, 17/47 Apex Drive, Truganina VIC 3029.

Frequently asked questions

Other Maths topics for Prep

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