Introducing the Math4Speed - a normed speeded test of arithmetic fluency

In everyday life, adults need to manipulate numbers in several ways. A large range of measures evaluating arithmetic fluency is currently used, differing in definitions and operationalizations of the underlying construct. The basic arithmetic operations include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Here, we introduce an instrument for assessing arithmetic skills (Math4Speed) and evaluate the relation between the basic arithmetic operations in adults. This speeded paper-and-pencil test measures arithmetic performance in the four basic operations graded by difficulty. It was administered to a sample of young neurotypical adults (n = 131 English, n = 134 German, n = 102 Polish, and n = 61 Belgian).Regarding the construct of arithmetic, associations of addition with subtraction and multiplication with division were the highest. We provide norms and criterion validity measures for subscales (4 operations x 2 difficulties) and an overall score. Concerning convergent validity: correlations of Math4Speed and basic number processing were higher for processing two-digit than single-digit numbers. Descriptively, magnitude comparison was stronger related to Math4Speed than different types of parity judgments. Self-reported math grade, math anxiety, and non-verbal intelligence were stronger related to complex arithmetic performance – indicating the necessity to cover a range of item difficulties. None or very weak correlations of Math4Speed to self-reported language grades provided evidence for discriminant validity. Cultural and gender differences in overall performance for subtraction and division were adapted in our norms.Math4Speed is openly available and thus a speeded arithmetic fluency test, which can quickly be employed by researchers to control for math performance in adult samples from different cultural backgrounds.