Debit and credit speed drill
Objective: Answer debit/credit effect questions quickly and accurately.
Recommended first: Debits and credits for contra accounts and drawings
Work through this mixed set. Aim for first-try accuracy rather than speed; your dashboard tracks first-try accuracy separately from eventual success.
Speed comes from consistency, not memorization of every account. For any account, first place it in one of five types, then recall the type's normal side, then compare with the posting side. Three steps, every time. When you get one wrong, read the explanation and redo a similar item later; the review queue schedules that for you.
First-try accuracy on your dashboard shows how often you are right without retries — a better measure of fluency than eventual success.
Check your work
- Type → normal side → compare.
- Did you slow down on contra accounts and drawings?
- Can you explain the answer in one sentence?
Cost of Goods Sold is an expense with a normal debit balance, so recording the cost of a sale debits it.
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Goods Sold | $300.00 | |
| Inventory | $300.00 |
Common mistakes
✗ Confusing revenue and cash.
✓ Revenue is earned; cash is received. They are different accounts.
Guided practice
Use hints freely here.
Item 1 of 1
Debit to Cost of Goods Sold
A debit is posted to Cost of Goods Sold. Does the debit increase or decrease this account's balance?
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Independent practice
Try these without hints. Completing the lesson needs at least one independent item solved without revealing the answer.
Item 1 of 6
Debit to Service Revenue
A debit is posted to Service Revenue. Does the debit increase or decrease this account's balance?
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Key terms
- Cost of goods sold
- The cost of inventory sold in a period.
References and provenance
- OpenStax, Principles of Accounting, Volume 1: Financial Accounting (accessed 2026-10-29)
Original lesson written for Bookkeeping Exercises (AI-assisted drafting). Calculations are verified by the platform's automated accounting tests. Not yet reviewed by a credentialed accountant. Updated 2026-10-29.