Order of operations (BIDMAS)
AQA GCSE Maths revision on Order of operations (BIDMAS). Aligned to the AQA GCSE Mathematics 8300 specification. This bank has 16 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 16)
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Question 1
A student calculates 10 - 2 * 3 and gets 24. Which part of the BIDMAS hierarchy did they fail to apply?
- A) Brackets
- B) Indices
- C) Multiplication before subtraction
- D) Addition before division
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Answer: Multiplication before subtraction
BIDMAS dictates that multiplication must be performed before subtraction. By subtracting 2 from 10 first, the student ignored the priority rule, resulting in an incorrect order of operations.
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Question 2
Why is it necessary to have a standardised order of operations like BIDMAS in mathematics?
- A) To make calculations faster
- B) To ensure everyone gets the same answer for the same expression
- C) To allow for more complex algebraic equations
- D) To reduce the number of brackets required in formulas
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Answer: To ensure everyone gets the same answer for the same expression
Without a universal rule, the same mathematical string could be interpreted in multiple ways depending on the order in which operations are performed. BIDMAS provides a consistent convention that ensures communication of mathematical values is unambiguous.
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Question 3
Identify the error in the following statement: 'In the expression 5 + 3^2, you must add 5 and 3 first because addition comes before indices in BIDMAS.'
- A) Addition does not come before indices in BIDMAS
- B) The expression has no brackets so indices do not matter
- C) Addition is always the final step in any calculation
- D) Indices are not part of the BIDMAS acronym
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Answer: Addition does not come before indices in BIDMAS
The 'I' in BIDMAS stands for Indices, which takes priority over 'A' for Addition. Calculating the addition first ignores the power of the number, fundamentally changing the expression's value.
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
13 more questions on Order of operations (BIDMAS) — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Maths spec.