Order of operations

The order of operations is a very simple, but a very important rule. So important, in fact, that you will have to obide by it in every math problem you encounter – ever! It concernes the order in which these operations need to be performed. The order of operations lists mathematical operations in order in which they should be performed in a mathematical expression, from highest to lowest priority. Here is that list:

order of operations

The first letters of these operations (P-E-M-A) are often used as a mnemonic device to help you remember the order in which they should be performed. As you can see, operations inside parentheses have the highest priority, then exponents, then multiplication and, with the lowest priority, addition. To explain how this translates to problem solving, we will use this example:

(8 – 10)2 – (-9) * (-3)

This is a fairly complex example, but it contains all the elements needed to properly explain the order of operations . The first step we have to do is to get rid of the parentheses where it is possible. That can be done by solving the expressions inside the parentheses.

(-2)2 – (-9) * (-3)

Notice that we left -9 and -3 inside their parentheses. That is because there are no operations to perform there and we will get rid of them a bit later. We will leave them be to avoid clutter. Now we need to perform the exponentation, as it is second on the list of priorities. Since (-2)2 equals 4, we get:

4 – (-9) * (-3)

The next operation on the order of operations is multiplication, so let us do it. The result of multiplying (-9) and (-3) is 27, so we are left with:

4 – 27

The only operation left to perform now is subtraction, which has the lowest priority. The end result is:

-23

It is important to adhere to this order as it affects the end result. If we performed the operations in a different order, we could have gotten the wrong result.

If you wish to practice the order of operations, you can use the free worksheets below.

Order of operations exams for teachers

Exam Name File Size Downloads Upload date
Non positive numeric expression
Order of operations – non positive integers 725.4 kB 6811 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive decimals 602.6 kB 3016 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive fractions 901.4 kB 2851 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive mixed numbers 933.8 kB 2535 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive improper fractions 857.5 kB 2493 September 3, 2019
Positive numeric expression
Order of operations – positive integers 662.2 kB 7165 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – positive decimal 732.4 kB 2942 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – positive fractions 848.8 kB 3491 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – positive mixed numbers 878.5 kB 2792 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – positive improper fractions 794.9 kB 2280 September 3, 2019
Non positive algebraic expression
Order of operations – non positive integers 897.4 kB 3673 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive decimals 897.4 kB 2160 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive fractions 1.2 MB 1877 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive mixed numbers 1 MB 2297 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – non positive improper fractions 1020.2 kB 2015 September 3, 2019
Positive algebraic expression
Order of operations – positive integers 865.7 kB 4025 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – positive decimals 982.5 kB 2420 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – positive fractions 1.2 MB 2643 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – mixed fractions 1 MB 2372 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – improper fractions 981.2 kB 2323 September 3, 2019

Order of operations worksheets for students

Worksheet Name File Size Downloads Upload date
Order of operations – Positive numeric expressions 781.9 kB 6629 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – Non positive numeric expressions 843.8 kB 4380 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – Positive algebraic expressions 924.8 kB 3791 September 3, 2019
Order of operations – Non positive algebraic expressions 1.4 MB 3490 September 3, 2019