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TABE Math study materials
TABE Math study resources

TABE Math practice questions

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Question 1Number and Operations

In the number 4,738, what is the value of the digit 7?

  1. 700 Correct answer.
  2. 7,000
  3. 7
  4. 70

Explanation

Each place in a whole number is ten times the place to its right. The 7 sits in the hundreds place, so its value is 7 × 100 = 700.

Question 2Number and Operations

Round 6,849 to the nearest hundred.

  1. 7,000
  2. 6,900
  3. 6,850
  4. 6,800 Correct answer.

Explanation

The hundreds digit is 8 and the digit to its right is 4. Because 4 is less than 5, the hundreds digit stays the same and the remaining digits become zeros, giving 6,800.

Question 3Number and Operations

Simplify: 12 + 3 × (8 − 5)

  1. 45
  2. 27
  3. 15
  4. 21 Correct answer.

Explanation

Order of operations requires parentheses first: 8 − 5 = 3. Then multiply before adding: 3 × 3 = 9, and finally 12 + 9 = 21.

Question 4Number and Operations

Write the fraction 18/24 in simplest form.

  1. 9/12
  2. 3/4 Correct answer.
  3. 6/8
  4. 2/3

Explanation

The greatest common factor of 18 and 24 is 6. Dividing the numerator and denominator by 6 gives 3/4, and 3 and 4 share no common factor other than 1.

Question 5Number and Operations

Which of these numbers has the greatest value: 0.6, 0.06, 0.65, 0.605?

  1. 0.6
  2. 0.06
  3. 0.605
  4. 0.65 Correct answer.

Explanation

Line up the decimals by place value and compare digit by digit. Writing them as 0.650, 0.605, 0.600, and 0.060 shows that 0.650 has the largest hundredths digit, so 0.65 is greatest.

Question 6Number and Operations

Write 45% as a decimal.

  1. 0.045
  2. 45.0
  3. 4.5
  4. 0.45 Correct answer.

Explanation

A percent is a ratio out of 100, so 45% means 45/100. Dividing 45 by 100 moves the decimal point two places to the left, giving 0.45.

Question 7Number and Operations

A library owns 5,000 books, and 1,275 of them are currently checked out. How many books are still on the shelves?

  1. 3,825
  2. 4,275
  3. 3,275
  4. 3,725 Correct answer.

Explanation

The number on the shelves is the total minus the number checked out. Subtracting 1,275 from 5,000 requires regrouping: 5,000 − 1,275 = 3,725.

Question 8Number and Operations

What is the value of 2 to the fifth power (2^5)?

  1. 32 Correct answer.
  2. 10
  3. 16
  4. 25

Explanation

The exponent tells how many times the base is used as a factor: 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 32.

Question 9Number and Operations

Add and simplify: 3/8 + 1/4

  1. 4/12
  2. 7/8
  3. 5/8 Correct answer.
  4. 1/2

Explanation

Rewrite 1/4 with a denominator of 8: 1/4 = 2/8. Then add the numerators over the common denominator: 3/8 + 2/8 = 5/8, which is already in simplest form.

Question 10Number and Operations

Multiply: 0.6 × 0.4

  1. 0.24 Correct answer.
  2. 0.024
  3. 2.4
  4. 24

Explanation

Multiply as with whole numbers: 6 × 4 = 24. The two factors have one decimal place each, so the product needs two decimal places: 0.24.

Question 11Number and Operations

Multiply and simplify: 2/3 × 3/8

  1. 1/4 Correct answer.
  2. 3/4
  3. 1/2
  4. 2/3

Explanation

Multiply numerators and denominators: (2 × 3)/(3 × 8) = 6/24. Dividing both parts by 6 gives 1/4.

Question 12Number and Operations

A car travels 150 miles in 3 hours at a constant speed. At that same speed, how far will it travel in 7 hours?

  1. 350 miles Correct answer.
  2. 210 miles
  3. 300 miles
  4. 450 miles

Explanation

Find the unit rate first: 150 ÷ 3 = 50 miles per hour. Multiplying by 7 hours gives 50 × 7 = 350 miles.

Question 13Number and Operations

What is the value of −8 − (−3)?

  1. −5 Correct answer.
  2. 5
  3. 11
  4. −11

Explanation

Subtracting a negative number is the same as adding its opposite: −8 − (−3) = −8 + 3. Moving 3 units in the positive direction from −8 lands on −5.

Question 14Number and Operations

What is 15% of 80?

  1. 12 Correct answer.
  2. 8
  3. 15
  4. 24

Explanation

Write the percent as a decimal and multiply: 0.15 × 80 = 12. Equivalently, 10% of 80 is 8 and 5% is 4, so 15% is 8 + 4 = 12.

Question 15Number and Operations

What is the least common multiple of 6 and 8?

  1. 48
  2. 16
  3. 24 Correct answer.
  4. 2

Explanation

List multiples until the first shared value appears: 6, 12, 18, 24 and 8, 16, 24. The smallest number in both lists is 24.

Question 16Number and Operations

Write the fraction 7/20 as a percent.

  1. 70%
  2. 20%
  3. 27%
  4. 35% Correct answer.

Explanation

Convert the fraction to a decimal by dividing 7 by 20 to get 0.35, then multiply by 100 to express it as a percent: 35%.

Question 17Number and Operations

Simplify: 5 + 2^3 × 3

  1. 11
  2. 29 Correct answer.
  3. 56
  4. 21

Explanation

Evaluate the exponent first: 2^3 = 8. Then multiply: 8 × 3 = 24, and finally add: 5 + 24 = 29.

Question 18Number and Operations

What is the value of |−14| + |9|?

  1. 23 Correct answer.
  2. −5
  3. 5
  4. −23

Explanation

Absolute value gives the distance from zero, so |−14| = 14 and |9| = 9. Adding the two distances gives 14 + 9 = 23.

Question 19Number and Operations

A recipe uses 12 cups of flour for every 8 cups of sugar. What is the ratio of flour to sugar written in simplest form?

  1. 4:1
  2. 12:8
  3. 2:3
  4. 3:2 Correct answer.

Explanation

The ratio is 12 to 8. Dividing both terms by their greatest common factor of 4 gives 3 to 2, which cannot be reduced further.

Question 20Number and Operations

Divide: 1,248 ÷ 8

  1. 156 Correct answer.
  2. 145
  3. 136
  4. 166

Explanation

Using long division, 8 goes into 12 once with 4 left over; bringing down 4 gives 44, and 8 goes in 5 times with 4 left; bringing down 8 gives 48, and 8 goes in 6 times. The quotient is 156.

Question 21Number and Operations

Evaluate: (3/4 + 1/2) ÷ 5/8

  1. 2 Correct answer.
  2. 8/5
  3. 1/2
  4. 5/4

Explanation

First add inside the parentheses using a denominator of 4: 3/4 + 2/4 = 5/4. Dividing by 5/8 means multiplying by its reciprocal: 5/4 × 8/5 = 40/20 = 2.

Question 22Number and Operations

A $60 jacket is marked down 25%, and then an additional 10% is taken off the sale price. What is the final price of the jacket?

  1. $40.50 Correct answer.
  2. $42.00
  3. $45.00
  4. $39.00

Explanation

After the 25% discount the price is 0.75 × 60 = $45. The second discount applies to $45, not $60: 0.90 × 45 = $40.50.

Question 23Number and Operations

Which number is equal to 3.6 × 10^4?

  1. 36,000 Correct answer.
  2. 360,000
  3. 3,600
  4. 36,000,000

Explanation

Multiplying by 10^4 moves the decimal point four places to the right. Starting with 3.6, that gives 36,000.

Question 24Number and Operations

Simplify the expression (2^5 × 2^3) ÷ 2^4 and give the result as a whole number.

  1. 4
  2. 8
  3. 64
  4. 16 Correct answer.

Explanation

When multiplying powers with the same base, add the exponents: 2^5 × 2^3 = 2^8. When dividing, subtract: 2^8 ÷ 2^4 = 2^4 = 16.

Question 25Number and Operations

A machine produces 3/5 of a case of parts every 1/4 hour. Working at that steady rate, how many cases does it produce in 2 hours?

  1. 7 1/2
  2. 4 4/5 Correct answer.
  3. 2 2/5
  4. 6/5

Explanation

Two hours contains 8 quarter-hour periods, since 2 ÷ 1/4 = 8. Multiplying 8 by 3/5 gives 24/5, which is 4 4/5 cases.

Question 26Number and Operations

In the number 4,782, what is the value of the digit 7?

  1. 7
  2. 7,000
  3. 700 Correct answer.
  4. 70

Explanation

Each place in a whole number is worth ten times the place to its right. The 7 in 4,782 stands in the hundreds place, so its value is 7 × 100 = 700.

Question 27Number and Operations

Which decimal is equivalent to the fraction 3/5?

  1. 0.6 Correct answer.
  2. 0.35
  3. 0.65
  4. 0.53

Explanation

A fraction bar means division, so divide the numerator by the denominator: 3 ÷ 5 = 0.6. Equivalently, multiply numerator and denominator by 2 to get 6/10, which is 0.6.

Question 28Number and Operations

Which list shows the decimals in order from least to greatest?

  1. 0.045, 0.4, 0.45 Correct answer.
  2. 0.045, 0.45, 0.4
  3. 0.4, 0.45, 0.045
  4. 0.45, 0.4, 0.045

Explanation

Compare decimals place by place, starting at the tenths. The number 0.045 has 0 tenths, so it is smallest; 0.4 and 0.45 both have 4 tenths, but 0.4 has 0 hundredths and 0.45 has 5 hundredths, so 0.4 comes next.

Question 29Number and Operations

Subtract: 6.3 − 2.85

  1. 3.55
  2. 3.45 Correct answer.
  3. 3.415
  4. 4.45

Explanation

Line up the decimal points and write 6.3 as 6.30 so both numbers have hundredths. Then 6.30 − 2.85 = 3.45.

Question 30Number and Operations

What is the greatest common factor of 24 and 36?

  1. 72
  2. 4
  3. 12 Correct answer.
  4. 6

Explanation

Write each number in prime factors: 24 = 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 and 36 = 2 × 2 × 3 × 3. The shared factors are 2 × 2 × 3 = 12.

Question 31Number and Operations

Which of these numbers is prime?

  1. 27
  2. 17 Correct answer.
  3. 21
  4. 33

Explanation

A prime number has exactly two factors, 1 and itself. The number 17 cannot be divided evenly by any whole number other than 1 and 17.

Question 32Number and Operations

What is the value of −5 + 12?

  1. −17
  2. −7
  3. 7 Correct answer.
  4. 17

Explanation

Adding a positive number to a negative number moves right on the number line. Starting at −5 and moving 12 units right lands on 7, and 12 − 5 = 7 with the sign of the larger number.

Question 33Number and Operations

Divide and simplify: 5/6 ÷ 2/3

  1. 1 1/4 Correct answer.
  2. 5/9
  3. 1/6
  4. 4/5

Explanation

Dividing by a fraction is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. So 5/6 ÷ 2/3 = 5/6 × 3/2 = 15/12, which simplifies to 5/4, or 1 1/4.

Question 34Number and Operations

A store raises the price of a item from $40 to $50. What is the percent increase?

  1. 10%
  2. 20%
  3. 80%
  4. 25% Correct answer.

Explanation

Percent change equals the amount of change divided by the original amount. The increase is $50 − $40 = $10, and 10 ÷ 40 = 0.25, which is 25%.

Question 35Number and Operations

What is the quotient 4.8 ÷ 0.06?

  1. 800
  2. 0.8
  3. 80 Correct answer.
  4. 8

Explanation

Make the divisor a whole number by multiplying both numbers by 100: 4.8 ÷ 0.06 becomes 480 ÷ 6 = 80.

Question 36Number and Operations

Which expression shows 0.00042 correctly written in scientific notation?

  1. 4.2 × 10^-4 Correct answer.
  2. 4.2 × 10^-3
  3. 4.2 × 10^-5
  4. 4.2 × 10^4

Explanation

Scientific notation writes a number as a factor between 1 and 10 times a power of ten. Moving the decimal point in 0.00042 four places to the right gives 4.2, and moving right means the exponent is negative, so the result is 4.2 × 10^-4.

Question 37Number and Operations

Simplify: (4 + 2)^2 ÷ 12 + 3

  1. 9
  2. 3
  3. 6 Correct answer.
  4. 12

Explanation

Apply the order of operations: parentheses first (4 + 2 = 6), then the exponent (6^2 = 36), then division (36 ÷ 12 = 3), and finally addition (3 + 3 = 6).

Question 38Number and Operations

To estimate 4,987 × 21, round each factor to its leading digit and multiply. Which estimate results?

  1. 100,000 Correct answer.
  2. 50,000
  3. 500,000
  4. 10,000

Explanation

Rounding each factor to its leading digit gives 5,000 and 20. Multiplying 5,000 × 20 = 100,000, which is close to the actual product.

Question 39Number and Operations

What is 3/8 of 64?

  1. 32
  2. 192
  3. 24 Correct answer.
  4. 8

Explanation

To find a fraction of a number, divide by the denominator and multiply by the numerator. Here 64 ÷ 8 = 8, and 8 × 3 = 24.

Question 40Number and Operations

Write the mixed number 2 3/4 as an improper fraction.

  1. 11/4 Correct answer.
  2. 5/4
  3. 9/4
  4. 23/4

Explanation

Multiply the whole number by the denominator and add the numerator: 2 × 4 + 3 = 11. Keep the same denominator, so 2 3/4 = 11/4.

Question 41Number and Operations

The number 18 is what percent of 45?

  1. 45%
  2. 25%
  3. 2.5%
  4. 40% Correct answer.

Explanation

To find what percent one number is of another, divide the part by the whole: 18 ÷ 45 = 0.4. Changing the decimal to a percent gives 40%.

Question 42Number and Operations

Which number is divisible by both 3 and 4?

  1. 42
  2. 34
  3. 54
  4. 48 Correct answer.

Explanation

A number is divisible by 3 when its digit sum is a multiple of 3, and by 4 when its last two digits form a multiple of 4. For 48, the digit sum is 12 and the last two digits are 48, both of which work.

Question 43Number and Operations

Multiply: 1.5 × 2.4

  1. 3.0
  2. 3.6 Correct answer.
  3. 36
  4. 0.36

Explanation

Multiply as with whole numbers: 15 × 24 = 360. Since the factors have one and one decimal place respectively, the product needs two decimal places, giving 3.60, or 3.6.

Question 44Number and Operations

At 6 a.m. the temperature was 12°F. By evening it had fallen to −5°F. By how many degrees did the temperature drop?

  1. −17 degrees
  2. 12 degrees
  3. 7 degrees
  4. 17 degrees Correct answer.

Explanation

The change in temperature is the starting value minus the ending value: 12 − (−5) = 12 + 5 = 17. The temperature fell 17 degrees.

Question 45Number and Operations

After a 20% discount, a shirt sells for $32. What was the original price?

  1. $64
  2. $52
  3. $40 Correct answer.
  4. $38.40

Explanation

A 20% discount means the sale price is 80% of the original price. Solve 0.80 × p = 32 by dividing: 32 ÷ 0.80 = 40.

Question 46Number and Operations

Simplify: (3/4 ÷ 9/8) × 2/3

  1. 8/9
  2. 9/16
  3. 1
  4. 4/9 Correct answer.

Explanation

Work inside the parentheses first: 3/4 ÷ 9/8 = 3/4 × 8/9 = 24/36 = 2/3. Then multiply: 2/3 × 2/3 = 4/9.

Question 47Number and Operations

Which list orders the fractions 5/8, 2/3, and 7/12 from least to greatest?

  1. 7/12, 5/8, 2/3 Correct answer.
  2. 2/3, 5/8, 7/12
  3. 5/8, 7/12, 2/3
  4. 7/12, 2/3, 5/8

Explanation

Rewrite each fraction with the common denominator 24: 5/8 = 15/24, 2/3 = 16/24, and 7/12 = 14/24. Comparing numerators gives 14/24 < 15/24 < 16/24, so the order is 7/12, 5/8, 2/3.

Question 48Number and Operations

What is the value of (−2)^4 − 3^2?

  1. −25
  2. −7
  3. 7 Correct answer.
  4. 25

Explanation

A negative base raised to an even power is positive, so (−2)^4 = 16. Then 3^2 = 9, and 16 − 9 = 7.

Question 49Number and Operations

Multiply and write the answer in scientific notation: (3 × 10^3) × (2 × 10^4)

  1. 6 × 10^12
  2. 6 × 10^1
  3. 5 × 10^7
  4. 6 × 10^7 Correct answer.

Explanation

Multiply the coefficients and add the exponents: 3 × 2 = 6 and 10^3 × 10^4 = 10^7. The product is 6 × 10^7.

Question 50Number and Operations

What is the value of |−7| − |3 − 9|?

  1. 10
  2. 13
  3. −1
  4. 1 Correct answer.

Explanation

Absolute value gives the distance of a number from zero, so |−7| = 7. Evaluate the expression inside the second pair of bars first: 3 − 9 = −6, and |−6| = 6. Then subtract: 7 − 6 = 1.