Order of operations with exponents worksheet
Thirty-six questions with exponents: squares and cubes after brackets, brackets raised to a power, longer expressions and six true-or-false checks.
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Order of operations with exponents worksheet
What’s on the worksheet
- 36 questions on order of operations with exponents, sized for US Letter paper
- 2 pages of questions plus an answer key on the last page
- Written for grade 6, matching Common Core 6.EE.A.1, 6.EE.A.2c
- Name and date lines at the top, and room to show the work
Sample questions from this worksheet
- 6 + 5² =
- (7 + 3)² =
- 4 × (4 + 4)² =
- 8 + [3 × (4 − 2)²] =
- (9 + 2)² − 3 × 2 =
- True or false: 2 × 3² = 36
Preview the worksheet and answer key
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Need another page for extra practice, a retake or a second group in class? The free Mathify Kids test maker builds a fresh order of operations with exponents worksheet with different numbers every time. Choose how many questions, print it with its own answer key, or let your child take it on screen and see the score straight away.
Order of operations with exponents: a worked example (3 + 2 × 4²)
- There are no brackets, so the power comes first: 4² = 4 × 4 = 16.
- Next the multiplication: 2 × 16 = 32.
- Last the addition: 3 + 32 = 35.
- Compare (3 + 2) × 4²: now the brackets come first, 5 × 16 = 80.
How to use it at home and in class
At home
Before the sheet, check that your child knows the squares from 2² to 10² and the first few cubes; the box on page 2 lists them. The true-or-false questions in Part D all test one idea: a power belongs only to the number or bracket right before it. The calculator marks the exponent step in purple, and the exponents page explains powers from the start. Ten problems a day works better than a whole sheet at once. Mark them together with the answer key, then ask your child to explain one they got wrong: finding the mistake themselves is where the learning happens.
In class
Use the first row as a warm-up, a full page for independent practice, or five questions as an exit ticket. For a retake or a second group, make a new version with the test maker so every child gets different numbers.
Mistakes to watch for
- Reading 4² as 4 × 2 = 8 instead of 4 × 4 = 16.
- Squaring the wrong number, so 2 × 3² becomes 6² = 36 instead of 2 × 9 = 18.
- Doing the power before the brackets in (1 + 2)³, so it becomes 1 + 8 instead of 3³ = 27.
- Multiplying before the power, so 5 × 2² becomes 10² = 100 instead of 5 × 4 = 20.
What to practice before and after order of operations with exponents
- Before: order of operations with parentheses. If this sheet is a struggle, go back a step.
- After: BODMAS, once this one is mostly right.
- Learn it first: the order of operations with exponents lesson.
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Questions parents ask
Do you do exponents before multiplication?
Yes. In PEMDAS, exponents come straight after parentheses and before multiplication and division. So 2 × 3² is 2 × 9 = 18, not 6² = 36.
What grade is this order of operations with exponents worksheet for?
It is written for grade 6 and matches Common Core standards 6.EE.A.1, 6.EE.A.2c.
Can I get a different version of this order of operations with exponents worksheet?
Yes. Use the free Mathify Kids test maker to make a new order of operations with exponents worksheet with different numbers every time. You choose how many questions, and every version comes with its own answer key.