Order of Operations Worksheets
Free printable order of operations worksheets. Two-operation expressions where the order matters, with an answer key. Levels up to parentheses and exponents.
Each problem is a short expression - three numbers, two operations - and the answer depends on doing multiplication and division before addition and subtraction. Every expression is generated so that working straight through left to right gives a different, wrong answer.
This page starts at the fourth-grade level: two operations, no brackets. Set Expressions higher for three operations, then parentheses, then a squared or cubed term - the progression from fourth grade to sixth.
What this worksheet covers
- Multiply and divide before adding and subtracting
- Evaluate expressions with three numbers and two operations
Common Core standards
- 6.EE.A.2c Evaluate expressions, including at given values of their variables, using the order of operations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of operations?
Parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right. The last two pairs are each done left to right, not one before the other.
What grade is order of operations?
It starts in fourth grade with two operations and no brackets, and runs through sixth grade, which adds parentheses and exponents.
Why does the order matter on every problem?
Because the expressions are built that way on purpose. 2 + 3 + 4 is 9 whatever order you use and tests nothing; 4 + 3 x 2 is 10 done right and 14 done wrong, and that is the kind this page generates.
Are the answers always whole numbers?
Yes, and never negative. Division always comes out even. The sheet is for students who have not met negative numbers or fractions in an expression yet.