How many years does a student need to learn abacus? The more appropriate question would be what level a student should attain in abacus. The learning results can vary for each student. Some students are more receptive to abacus and more willing to put into the time to practice. Along with parents’ support and supervision to complete homework, it is no surprise that they perform extremely well, often completing curriculum that most students need two or three years to do in one year. Students learn abacus before they learn mental arithmetic. What we really care about is the mental arithmetic, and abacus is the necessary step to achieve that.

From a professional point of view, the first stage of success is the following:

(1) 6-row 2-digit mental addition and subtraction

(2) 2 x 2 mental multiplication

(3) 4 / 2 mental division

For abacus, we recommend at least passing Level 3 qualification, which most students can achieve within three to four years. Learning abacus is very beneficial in combination of learning math in school.