Order Of Operations Basic

Order of operations is always included in the GED math questions.

This lesson is a part of Onsego GED Prep.

Video Transcription

When you see a math problem with more than one operation—like adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing—you need to follow a specific order.
That’s because if two people solve the same problem in different ways, they could get different answers.
And in math, we can’t have that—we need just one correct answer every time.

That’s why we follow the order of operations—a set of rules that tells us which steps to do first.

First, you do whatever is inside the parentheses.

Parentheses are like math’s way of saying, “Start here!”

Next, you take care of multiplication and division. These are done from left to right, in the order they appear.

It doesn’t matter which one comes first in the rule—just read the problem from left to right and solve as you go.

After that, you handle addition and subtraction, also from left to right.

Let’s walk through a problem together.

What is six divided by two, times five, minus five, plus eleven minus three?

We start with the parentheses.

Eleven minus three equals eight.

Now the problem is: six divided by two, times five, minus five, plus eight.

Next, we do the division and multiplication from left to right.

Six divided by two is three.

Then three times five is fifteen.

Now we have: fifteen minus five, plus eight.

Now it’s time to add and subtract, again from left to right.

Fifteen minus five is ten.

Then ten plus eight is eighteen.

So the final answer is eighteen.

Let’s review the order again.

First, solve anything inside parentheses.

Then multiply or divide, from left to right.

Then add or subtract, from left to right.

One way to remember this order is with the saying, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.”

P stands for parentheses.

We’re skipping exponents for now, but they come next.

Then we have multiplication and division.

Then addition and subtraction.

That’s how we keep math fair, consistent, and accurate—even without a calculator.

Last Updated on February 2, 2026.