Till Tape
Check the total on a receipt and say whether it is right or wrong.
Numbers & words · All ages
Check the receipt total, then tap Ring Up or Flag It.
About this game
Till Tape is a number-checking game. A receipt scrolls past with a printed total, and you tap Ring Up if the total is right or Flag It if it is wrong, before the receipt tears away.
It practises checking and estimating, the skills you use to spot a mistake in a bill or a set of figures. You can add every line exactly, or you can estimate quickly and check whether the total looks reasonable.
How to play
- Look at the amounts on the receipt.
- Add them up and compare with the printed total.
- Tap Ring Up if it is right or Flag It if it is off, before the receipt tears away.
Tips
- Add the amounts once before you tap.
- Round each amount to the nearest whole number for a quick check.
- Look at the last digit first. Many wrong totals give themselves away there.
How it adapts
Kids get shorter receipts with smaller amounts. Teens and adults get longer receipts and closer wrong totals. The difficulty adjusts to how you play.
Questions
Do I need the exact total?
Sometimes an estimate is enough. Sometimes the wrong total is close, so an exact check helps.
Why do some wrong totals look so close?
Close totals are harder to spot, which is the challenge that keeps the game interesting at higher levels.
Is guessing worth it?
Not really. Mistakes count against you, so a quick check is better than a guess.
The research behind it
Estimation and checking are part of number sense, which researchers study alongside arithmetic. Practice makes you better at this game's checks; we make no claim about money skills.
