Order of Operations: Practice Problems with Step-by-Step Answers
Usually taught in grades 5-6. Great stretch practice for strong 4th graders and review for 7th graders.
When an expression has more than one operation, everyone needs to do them in the same order, or two people get two different answers. That shared order is called the order of operations.
The rule
Work in this order: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (left to right), then Addition and Subtraction (left to right). Many students remember it as PEMDAS.
The most common mistake
Multiplication does not always come before division. They are a pair, so you go left to right. The same is true for addition and subtraction. So 12 / 3 x 2 is 4 x 2 = 8, not 12 / 6 = 2.
Worked examples
8 + 2 x 5
- Multiply first: 2 x 5 = 10
- Add: 8 + 10 = 18
(8 + 2) x 5
- Parentheses first: 8 + 2 = 10
- Multiply: 10 x 5 = 50
20 - 3^2 + 1
- Exponent: 3^2 = 9
- Left to right: 20 - 9 = 11
- 11 + 1 = 12
Practice challenge
4 problems with step-by-step answers. Nothing is saved.
Problem 1 of 4 · Order of operations
7 + 3 x 4
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