Identify Relevant Information in a Word Problem

Word problems are not a modern invention designed to frustrate students. They are among the oldest forms of mathematical exercises, dating back thousands of years to ancient civilizations that needed to solve practical problems in trade, land measurement, and taxation. The challenge has always been the same: translating everyday language into mathematical operations. Understanding where word problems come from helps you appreciate why the skill of identifying relevant information is so central to mathematical reasoning.

Throughout history, the fundamental skill has remained constant: before you can compute an answer, you must determine which pieces of information actually matter for the question being asked. On the SSAT, this is tested repeatedly — and the students who master it save time and avoid careless errors.

Every word problem contains three categories of information. Your job is to sort each detail into the correct category before you begin any calculation. Skipping this sorting step is the single most common source of errors on quantitative sections of the SSAT.

The diagram below illustrates a systematic approach to reading a word problem. You begin by reading the question (the final sentence), then you sweep through the entire problem, tagging each piece of data as relevant, extraneous, or implicit. Only after this sorting step do you set up an equation.

The critical insight is that Step 1 — reading the question first — changes how your brain processes the rest of the problem. When you know what you're looking for before you start reading, your mind automatically flags useful data and filters out distractions. This is the same principle that allows you to find a friend in a crowded hallway once you know what color shirt they're wearing.

Once you have sorted the information, you need to translate verbal descriptions into mathematical operations. Certain keyword clues embedded in word problems reliably point to specific operations. Recognizing these keywords is essential because the SSAT often tests whether you can match the right operation to a situation described in words.

Not all distracting information looks the same. The SSAT uses several distinct strategies to embed extraneous details. The diagram below categorizes these strategies, and the table that follows provides concrete examples of each type.

Let's apply the full sorting process to a realistic SSAT-style word problem.

Notice that if you had accidentally used Sarah's age (16) anywhere in the calculation — perhaps multiplying by it or confusing it for a rate — you would have gotten a completely wrong answer. The sorting step in Step 2 prevented that mistake.

Students often develop their own methods for handling word problems. Some of these strategies work well; others create new pitfalls. The table below compares the most common approaches so you can choose the right tool for each situation.

Identifying relevant information is the foundational layer of a broader problem-solving skill set. As problems become more complex — involving systems of equations, geometric reasoning, or data interpretation — the sorting step becomes even more critical because the volume of information increases.

On the SSAT Upper Level, the hardest quantitative questions are not necessarily the ones with the most complex math. They are often the ones with the most cleverly embedded distractors. A student who can quickly and accurately sort information will have a significant advantage, because the actual computation — once the right numbers are selected — is usually straightforward.

For each problem below, focus on identifying the relevant information before you compute. Choose the best answer from the five choices.