PSLE Maths topics, counted across 36 real prelim papers

Plenty of pages will tell you which PSLE Maths topics "always come up". This one is different in a way that is easy to state: we digitised 36 P6 prelim papers from top Singapore schools — Nanyang, Catholic High, Henry Park, ACS, MGS, Nan Hua and others, 2023 to 2025 — and tagged all 4,690 questions by topic. The table below is a count, not an opinion.

The count

Topic	2023	2024	2025	Total questions
Fractions	144	218	160	522
Angles	142	168	152	462
Data Analysis	162	147	103	412
Measurement	91	129	102	322
Whole Numbers	117	99	105	321
Percentage	103	100	95	298
Ratio	68	118	101	287
Area & Perimeter	99	93	83	275
Volume	70	72	95	237
Algebra	68	75	79	222
Decimals	74	73	66	213
Circles	68	69	41	178

Counts are from the 36 school prelim papers we have digitised (11 schools in 2023, 13 in 2024, 12 in 2025). A question tagged with two topics counts once under each. Prelims are written by schools, not SEAB, so this measures what top schools test — the best available proxy for the PSLE itself.

What the numbers actually say

Fractions is the big one — and it hides in other topics

One question in nine is tagged Fractions, and that understates it: ratio, percentage and speed questions routinely turn into fraction arithmetic halfway through. A child who is shaky on fractions loses marks in four topics, not one. If you strengthen only one thing before the exam, this is it.

Angles and Data Analysis outrank the topics parents drill

Angles — including angles in composite figures — is the second most-tested topic in every single year, yet it rarely gets revision time at home. Data Analysis (tables, graphs, pie charts, average) is third. Both are technique topics: a modest amount of focused practice moves them quickly, which makes them better value per hour than another round of a topic your child already scores on.

Every topic in this table appeared every year

There is no skippable row here. The syllabus is finite and schools cover it: banking on a topic "probably not coming up" is not a strategy, it is a gamble with 36 data points against you.

How to use this table

Weight revision by the table, adjusted by your child. High count + weak topic = first priority. Fractions almost always lands here.
Do not chase the tail. The bottom rows still appear yearly but carry fewer marks; a child strong in the top six rows is largely safe.
Test, do not re-teach. One timed paper shows which of these rows actually loses marks — usually not the one a parent would guess.

Practise exactly these topics. The 36 papers behind this table can be sat online — auto-marked, with the full worked solution on every question, and a by-topic view so your child can drill just Fractions or just Angles. P6 Maths, S$60 for 12 months →

Prefer paper? The PDFs are in the free library, along with 1,364 others.

For how to run that practice properly, see our PSLE preparation guide — and the 2026 exam dates if you are planning the last weeks.

Common questions

Which topics appear most in PSLE Maths?

Across 36 top-school prelim papers from 2023 to 2025, the most-tested topics were Fractions (522 questions), Angles (462), Data Analysis (412), Measurement (322) and Whole Numbers (321). Every major syllabus topic appeared in every year.

Can my child skip a topic that rarely appears?

No topic in our count skipped a year. Lower-count topics such as Circles still appeared in every year of every school’s paper set, so leaving one out entirely is a gamble rather than a strategy.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the 36 P6 prelim papers (2023–2025) digitised for our online practice — 4,690 questions, each tagged by topic when the paper was digitised. They are counts of real school papers, not estimates.

Is a prelim paper a good guide to the real PSLE?

It is the closest public guide there is. SEAB does not release PSLE papers, and school prelims are written to PSLE standard — usually slightly above it.

PSLE Maths topics — counted, not guessed