Evaluate multi-step numerical expressions in the correct order — parentheses, exponents, multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. The rules are simple; the exam just gives you more steps than you expect to track at once. Every question comes with a written walkthrough of the order applied.
Multiplication doesn't outrank division, and addition doesn't outrank subtraction — each pair is a tie broken by reading left to right, not by the order the letters appear in the acronym.
3(4 + 5²) requires resolving 5² and the addition inside the parentheses completely before multiplying by 3 — not distributing the 3 across each term first.
−3² is −9, not 9 — the exponent applies only to the 3 unless the negative sign is also inside parentheses, like (−3)².
Straight from the bank — one per difficulty tier. Reveal the answer to see the explanation you'd get in a real session.
Evaluate: 6 + 4 × 3 − 2
Evaluate: 2(3 + 4)² − 10
Evaluate: 2 + 3 × 4² ÷ 6 − 1
PEMDAS problems are rarely about not knowing the rule — they're about tracking four or five steps without losing one along the way.
Never combine two steps in your head. Write the expression again after each operation, even when it feels slow. Untimed practice is where that habit gets built before speed tempts you to skip it.
Move to timed sessions once you're not losing steps. Multi-step expressions run a little longer than single-operation problems.
Pair order of operations with simplification in a mock — both reward the same step-by-step discipline.
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