Skip to content

Number Sets Test

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

A speeded assessment developed by Moore et al. that measures preschool and early-elementary children's fluent processing and manipulation of symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical magnitudes.

Components

  • Number sets test as a measure of fluent magnitude processing predicting later mathematics outcomes: The number sets test asks children to quickly circle domino-like combinations of objects, Arabic numerals, or both that sum to a target value, with a 60-second limit and signal-detection (d-prime) scoring. The article reports that first-grade performance "correctly identified 2 out of 3 children who were diagnosed with MLD several years later and 9 out of 10 children who received no such diagnosis", with sensitivity and specificity better than first-grade achievement scores and no prediction of reading achievement. In this study it served as the kindergarten outcome measuring fluent processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitudes. (Moore et al. (2016))
  • Number Sets Test d-prime measure of fluent processing of small numerosities and Arabic numerals: The Number Sets Test, developed by Geary et al. (2007), assesses the speed and accuracy with which children match combinations of object sets and Arabic numerals to target sums of 5 or 9 within time limits (60 s and 90 s per page). A receiver operating characteristic analysis yields a d-prime sensitivity score controlling for response bias. The article reports that "The d-prime scores, but not response bias scores, are correlated with mathematics but not reading achievement, above and beyond the influence of IQ, working memory, and prior grade mathematics and reading achievement scores," and that first-grade d-prime predicted third-grade MLD status better than first-grade mathematics achievement scores. (Geary et al. (2012))

Claims

-

Key Sources

  • Moore, A. M., vanMarle, K., & Geary, D. C. (2016). Kindergartners' Fluent Processing of Symbolic Numerical Magnitude is Predicted by Their Cardinal Knowledge and Implicit Understanding of Arithmetic Two Years Earlier. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2016.05.003
  • Geary, D. C., Hoard, M. K., & Bailey, D. H. (2012). Fact Retrieval Deficits in Low Achieving Children and Children with Mathematical Learning Disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219410392046
Page metadata
Field Value
type product
id number-sets-test
title Number Sets Test
description A speeded assessment developed by Moore et al.
status review
product_kind assessment
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-17
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.