Apply PEMDAS correctly, including the left to right tiebreaker for multiplication or division and addition or subtraction.
Simplify expressions with fraction bars and mixed numbers before dividing.
Solve a multi-step expression by hand before entering it into the four-function calculator.
What the lesson concludes
Apply parentheses, then exponents and roots, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.
Left to right means multiplication does not always beat division, and addition does not always beat subtraction. Whichever comes first in the expression goes first.
A fraction bar groups everything above and below it like a set of parentheses.
Convert mixed numbers to improper fractions before multiplying or dividing them.
The exam calculator will not sequence multi-step operations for you, so solve inside parentheses by hand first.