Algebra 1 Pretest

One fixed 40-question readiness paper for the start of Algebra 1, to take on screen or print with its key.

See all 40 with answers
Evaluate −9 + 4.

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 40 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Scored pretest: 40 questions, no time limit.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with any school, district or state education agency. Bank checked October 9, 2026.

Next step Algebra practice test in five levelsReview: grade 8 math practice

All 40 questions with answers

Part A: integers and order of operations 6

  • Evaluate (−7)(3). Answer: −21. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.NS.A.2: multiply and divide rational numbers
  • Evaluate 3 · (10 − 4)². Answer: 108. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.A.1: write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents
  • Evaluate 6 − (−8). Answer: 14. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.NS.A.1: add and subtract rational numbers
  • Evaluate 8 + 12 ÷ 4. Answer: 11. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.A.2.c: evaluate expressions at specific values of their variables, in the conventional order of operations
  • Evaluate −9 + 4. Answer: −5. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.NS.A.1: add and subtract rational numbers
  • Evaluate −36 ÷ (−9). Answer: 4. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.NS.A.2: multiply and divide rational numbers
Show all 40 questions (34 more)

Part A: fractions, percents and proportions 8

  • A copier makes 84 copies in 7 minutes. At that rate, how many copies does it make in 12 minutes? Answer: 144 copies. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.RP.A.3.b: solve unit rate problems
  • A recipe uses 2 cups of flour for 3 dozen cookies. How many cups of flour does it take to make 12 dozen? Answer: 8 cups. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.RP.A.2.c: represent proportional relationships by equations
  • Add 3/4 + 1/8. Answer: 7/8. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 5.NF.A.1: add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators
  • Divide (3/4) ÷ (1/2). Answer: 3/2. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.NS.A.1: compute quotients of fractions
  • Multiply (2/5) · (3/4). Answer: 3/10. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 5.NF.B.4: multiply a fraction or whole number by a fraction
  • Solve the proportion 3/5 = x/20. Answer: x = 12. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.RP.A.3.a: make tables of equivalent ratios and find missing values
  • Subtract 5/6 − 1/4. Answer: 7/12. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 5.NF.A.1: add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators
  • What is 40% of 65? Answer: 26. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.RP.A.3.c: find a percent of a quantity as a rate per 100

Part A: exponents and roots 4

  • Evaluate 2⁴. Answer: 16. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.A.1: write and evaluate numerical expressions involving whole-number exponents
  • Evaluate √144. Answer: 12. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.EE.A.2: square roots of small perfect squares and cube roots of small perfect cubes
  • Which power of 3 is equal to 3² · 3³? Answer: 3⁵. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.EE.A.1: know and apply the properties of integer exponents
  • Which whole number is closest to √50? Answer: 7. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.NS.A.2: use rational approximations of irrational numbers

Part A: expressions, equations and points 9

  • Evaluate 4n + 7 when n = 5. Answer: 27. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.A.2.c: evaluate expressions at specific values of their variables, in the conventional order of operations
  • In which quadrant is the point (4, −6)? Answer: Quadrant IV. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.NS.C.6.b: signs of the numbers in an ordered pair and the quadrants of the coordinate plane
  • Simplify 6a + 4 − 2a + 3. Answer: 4a + 7. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.EE.A.1: add, subtract, factor and expand linear expressions with rational coefficients
  • Solve 3x + 8 = 29. Answer: x = 7. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 7.EE.B.4.a: solve equations of the form px + q = r and p(x + q) = r
  • Solve 7x = 63. Answer: x = 9. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.B.7: solve equations of the form x + p = q and px = q
  • Solve x − 7 = 12. Answer: x = 19. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.B.7: solve equations of the form x + p = q and px = q
  • What are the coordinates of point P on the grid? (Picture: A coordinate grid from −5 to 5 with one red dot labeled P. The dot is to the left of the vertical axis and above the horizontal axis.) Answer: (−3, 2). Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.NS.C.6.c: find and position pairs of integers on a coordinate plane
  • Which expression is equal to 5(2x − 3)? Answer: 10x − 15. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.A.3: apply the properties of operations to generate equivalent expressions
  • Which expression means "8 more than the product of 3 and a number n"? Answer: 3n + 8. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 6.EE.A.2.a: write expressions that record operations with numbers and with letters standing for numbers

Part B: a preview of Algebra 1 13

  • Add (2x² + 3x) + (x² − 5x). Answer: 3x² − 2x. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSA.APR.A.1: add, subtract and multiply polynomials
  • Factor x² + 5x + 6. Answer: (x + 2)(x + 3). Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSA.SSE.A.2: use the structure of an expression to identify ways to rewrite it
  • If f(x) = 2x + 9, what is f(3)? Answer: 15. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSF.IF.A.2: use function notation and evaluate functions for inputs in their domains
  • Multiply (x + 2)(x + 6). Answer: x² + 8x + 12. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSA.APR.A.1: add, subtract and multiply polynomials
  • Pens cost $2 and notebooks cost $3. Mia buys 8 items for $19. How many notebooks does she buy? Answer: 3. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.EE.C.8.c: solve real-world problems leading to two linear equations in two variables
  • Solve 2(x + 5) = 3x − 4. Answer: x = 14. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSA.REI.B.3: solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable
  • Solve 2x − 1 < 9. Answer: x < 5. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSA.REI.B.3: solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable
  • Solve the system y = x + 1 and x + y = 9. Answer: (4, 5). Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.EE.C.8.b: solve systems of two linear equations in two variables algebraically
  • Solve x² = 81. Answer: x = 9 or x = −9. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, HSA.REI.B.4.b: solve quadratic equations by inspection, taking square roots, completing the square, the quadratic formula and factoring
  • What is the slope of the line on the grid? (Picture: A coordinate grid from −5 to 5 with one straight line that falls from left to right. It passes through the grid points (0, 3) and (1, 1).) Answer: −2. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.EE.B.6: the equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b
  • What is the slope of the line through (0, 1) and (2, 7)? Answer: 3. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.F.B.4: determine the rate of change and initial value of a linear function
  • What is the y-intercept of the line y = 5x − 2? Answer: −2. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.F.A.3: interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function
  • Which equation is a line with slope 4 that crosses the y-axis at 1? Answer: y = 4x + 1. Source: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, 8.EE.B.6: the equation y = mx + b for a line intercepting the vertical axis at b

How this list was compiled: Our own questions. Part A follows the grade 5 to grade 8 standards of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics; Part B takes lines and systems from the grade 8 standards and polynomials, quadratics and functions from the high school Algebra and Functions standards (https://www.thecorestandards.org/Math/, read 2026-10-09). Each question names the standard it practices and links to that standard's page. Every answer is arithmetic or algebra on what the question prints, worked out a second time on 2026-10-09. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices, explanations and the two grid pictures were written and drawn for this site. Nothing is copied or reworded from a school, district or publisher pretest, a placement test or a state test.

How it works

This free Algebra 1 pretest is one fixed paper of 40 questions of our own, so a whole class sits the same test. It is unofficial and not the placement test of any school or district; a school decides placement.

Read the full guide

Two parts

Part A has 27 questions on what a student brings to the course. Part B has 13 that preview Algebra 1. The order never changes, Part A first.

Reading the result

The Scored pretest marks all 40 at the end and scores each part and skill. A low Part A score names earlier skills to review. Part B shows a starting point for the course itself.

Where the questions come from

Part A follows the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, grades 5 to 8, read October 9, 2026. Part B takes lines and systems from grade 8 and the rest from high school.

  • No calculator is needed: every number was chosen to work out by hand.
  • The same paper given again at the end of the course shows what changed.

Questions and answers

What is on an Algebra 1 pretest?

Each school writes its own. Part A of this one checks grade 5 to 8 skills: integers and order of operations, fractions, percents and proportions, exponents and roots, expressions, simple equations and plotted points. Part B previews slope, lines, systems, polynomials and quadratics.

Is this an Algebra 1 placement test?

No. It is Algebra 1 placement test practice only. A high school algebra placement test is written and scored by the school or district, which also decides placement. The school's counselor or math department can say what its test covers.

Is this Algebra 1 pre-test printable with an answer key?

Yes. Print the pretest lists all 40 questions in order; tick the answer key to add it, then print. Choose Save as PDF in the print window to keep a copy.

How many questions should a student get right?

This page sets no pass mark, and a school sets its own cut-off where it uses one. The score by part says more than the total.

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