Grade 8 Mathematics study guide
Grade 8 Mathematics · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Grade 8 Mathematics exam is a standards-based assessment of the mathematical knowledge and skills typically taught in eighth grade. It is used by schools, districts, and state agencies to measure student proficiency and readiness for high school mathematics. The Grade 8 Mathematics study guide has 6 sections and about 2,765 words.
01The Number System: Rational and Irrational Numbers, Roots, and Estimation
The Number System strand on the Grade 8 exam tests how fluently you move between fractions, terminating and repeating decimals, roots, and irrational numbers. Expect items on classifying numbers, converting repeating decimals to fractions, estimating square and cube roots without a calculator, placing irrational values on a number line, and comparing quantities such as √50 and 7.1.
429 words, about 2 min02Expressions and Equations: Exponent Rules, Scientific Notation, Linear Equations, and Systems
The Expressions and Equations domain tests integer exponent rules, scientific notation, solving multi-step linear equations in one variable, the meaning of slope and intercept, and solving systems of two linear equations. A common item type asks you to decide whether an equation has one solution, no solution, or infinitely many.
471 words, about 2 min03Functions: Definitions, Linear vs. Nonlinear, Rate of Change, and Comparisons
The Functions domain checks whether you can recognize a function from a table, graph, equation, or verbal description, distinguish linear from nonlinear functions, and compare two functions presented in different forms. Rate-of-change and initial-value questions appear most often, frequently with function notation.
493 words, about 2 min04Geometry: Transformations, Angle Relationships, Pythagorean Theorem, and Volume
Grade 8 geometry covers transformations and their effect on congruence and similarity, angle relationships formed by parallel lines and transversals, the Pythagorean theorem and its converse, and the volume of cylinders, cones, and spheres. Items often ask you to justify why two figures are congruent or similar, or to find a missing length or angle.
463 words, about 2 min05Statistics and Probability: Scatter Plots, Lines of Best Fit, and Two-Way Tables
The statistics strand centers on bivariate data: reading scatter plots, describing association, interpreting a line of best fit, and analyzing two-way tables using joint, marginal, and conditional relative frequencies. Questions usually ask you to interpret a slope or intercept in context, or to choose the correct relative frequency.
463 words, about 2 min06Ratios, Proportional Relationships, and Percents: Unit Rates, Percent Change, and Interest
This domain tests unit rates, the constant of proportionality, and percent applications including percent change, percent error, discounts, markups, tax, tips, and simple interest. Most lost marks come from choosing the wrong base, not from arithmetic.
446 words, about 2 min