SSAT Upper Level Quiz: Order Of Operations

4 questions · exam conditions

0:00

Order Of OperationsQuestion 1 of 4

What is the value of $4 + 2[3^2 - 2(5 - 3)]$ ?

14

16

20

24

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SSAT Upper Level Quiz

SSAT Upper Level Quiz: Order Of Operations

Practice Order Of Operations in SSAT Upper Level with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Order Of Operations, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for SSAT Upper Level.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

What is the value of $4 + 2[3^2 - 2(5 - 3)]$ ?

$14$
$16$
$20$ (correct answer)
$24$

Explanation: Following order of operations: Start with the innermost parentheses: (5 - 3) = 2. Next, work outward: 2(2) = 4. Then evaluate the exponent: 3² = 9. Inside the brackets: 9 - 4 = 5. Next, multiply: 2[5] = 10. Finally: 4 + 10 = 20. Choice A results from incorrectly calculating 3² as 6. Choice B results from errors in handling the brackets. Choice D results from adding instead of subtracting within the brackets.

Question 2

If $x = 2$ and $y = 3$ , what is the value of $2x^2 - 3(x + y) + \frac{18}{y}$ ?

$2$
$5$ (correct answer)
$8$
$11$

Explanation: Following order of operations: First, substitute x = 2 and y = 3. Then evaluate exponents: 2(2)² = 2(4) = 8. Next, evaluate inside parentheses: (x + y) = (2 + 3) = 5. Then multiplication and division from left to right: 3(5) = 15 and 18/3 = 6. Finally, combine: 8 - 15 + 6 = 5. Choice A results from incorrectly calculating 2x² as 2(2) = 4. Choice C results from forgetting the subtraction sign. Choice D results from evaluating addition before multiplication.

Question 3

What is the value of $2 + 3 \cdot 4^2 - 5 \cdot (6 - 4) \div 2$ ?

$43$
$45$
$47$ (correct answer)
$49$

Explanation: Following order of operations: First, evaluate parentheses: (6 - 4) = 2. Next, evaluate exponents: 4² = 16. Then, perform multiplication and division from left to right: 3 × 16 = 48, and 5 × 2 ÷ 2 = 5. Finally, perform addition and subtraction from left to right: 2 + 48 - 5 = 47. Choice A results from incorrectly calculating 3 × 4² as 3 × 4 × 2. Choice B results from calculation errors in the final step. Choice D results from not performing the final subtraction.

Question 4

What is the value of $(-3)^2 \cdot 2 - 4 \cdot 3 + \frac{24}{-6 + 2}$ ?

$0$ (correct answer)
$6$
$12$
$18$

Explanation: Following order of operations: First, evaluate exponents and operations in denominators: (-3)² = 9 and (-6 + 2) = -4. Next, perform multiplication and division: 9 × 2 = 18, 4 × 3 = 12, and 24 ÷ (-4) = -6. Finally, combine from left to right: 18 - 12 + (-6) = 6 - 6 = 0. Choice B results from forgetting the final addition of -6. Choice C results from incorrectly calculating the division as positive 6. Choice D results from not performing any subtraction.