In Chapter 3, I described how Year 10 Ben worked hard on his noughts and crosses (Tic Tac Toe) investigation, but was strongly driven by his aim of completing more and finishing faster than the other students. Correspondingly, he states a preference for working alone. Ben talked enthusiastically about the set system and his competitiveness and belief in effort, the importance of speed, and tests. Since the final year in primary school he had determined to improve at mathematics, and be average as opposed to below average. He had revised for the SATs in both years 6 and 9 and welcomed the pressure from teachers to do well. He enjoyed mental arithmetic tests because they emphasized speed: