Is My Child Ready for Algebra 1? A 10-Question Readiness Check
Algebra 1 builds on everything before it. A student who starts with shaky foundations can fall behind in the first month, while a student who's ready often finds it the most satisfying math they've done.
This 10-question check covers the skills Algebra 1 leans on most. It takes about 15 minutes.
How to give it
- Use paper and pencil. No calculator.
- Don't help or hint. You want to see what they can do alone.
- Ask them to show their work. How they get an answer tells you more than the answer itself.
- Check answers only at the end, so it doesn't feel like a test in progress.
The 10 questions
1. Integers
−7 + 12 − (−3) = ?Tap to see the answer
Answer: 8
If they missed it: Sign errors. Subtracting a negative is the same as adding: −7 + 12 + 3 = 8.
2. Fractions
3/4 ÷ 1/2 = ?Tap to see the answer
Answer: 3/2 (or 1½)
If they missed it: Fraction division done by rule, without sense of size. Ask: how many halves fit in three-quarters? A bit more than one.
3. Order of operations
2 + 3 × (8 − 5)² = ?Tap to see the answer
Answer: 29
If they missed it: Working left to right. Parentheses first (3), then the exponent (9), then multiply (27), then add (29).
4. Distributing
Simplify: 4(x − 3) + 2xTap to see the answer
Answer: 6x − 12
If they missed it: Distributing to only the first term. 4(x − 3) is 4x − 12, not 4x − 3.
5. One-variable equations
Solve: 3x + 7 = 22Tap to see the answer
Answer: x = 5
If they missed it: Undoing steps in the wrong order. Subtract 7 first, then divide by 3.
6. Variables on both sides
Solve: 5x − 4 = 2x + 14Tap to see the answer
Answer: x = 6
If they missed it: The equals sign read as "write the answer." Move the x-terms to one side: 3x − 4 = 14, so 3x = 18.
7. Percents
What is 30% of 80?Tap to see the answer
Answer: 24
If they missed it: Percent as a separate trick instead of a fraction. 30% is 3/10, and 3/10 of 80 is 24.
8. Ratios
A recipe uses 2 cups of flour for every 3 cups of milk. How much flour goes with 9 cups of milk?Tap to see the answer
Answer: 6 cups
If they missed it: Adding instead of scaling (answering 8). Milk tripled, so flour triples too.
9. Evaluating expressions
Find 2x² − x when x = −3.Tap to see the answer
Answer: 21
If they missed it: Squaring a negative. (−3)² is 9, so 2(9) − (−3) = 18 + 3 = 21.
10. Word problems
A phone plan costs $20 a month plus $5 per GB. The bill is $45. How many GB were used?Tap to see the answer
Answer: 5 GB
If they missed it: Keyword hunting instead of modeling. Write it as 20 + 5g = 45, then solve.
What the score means
This is a rough guide, not a formal placement test:
- 9-10 correct: Likely ready. Keep skills sharp with a little practice over breaks.
- 7-8 correct: Close. Look at which questions were missed - fixing those specific skills now pays off all year.
- 6 or fewer: Worth shoring up first. Missed questions usually cluster around one or two root gaps, like negative numbers or the equals sign.
One more thing to watch: a right answer reached slowly or by guessing is a warning sign too. Algebra 1 stacks steps, and every slow step costs time and focus later.
Gap or careless slip?
A wrong answer can mean two very different things. A slip is the right method with an arithmetic mistake. A gap is a wrong idea about how the math works. Slips fade with care. Gaps don't - they need to be re-taught. Telling them apart is the most useful thing you can do before Algebra 1.
The free pAIrmatic math check-in is designed to sort out exactly that: which wrong answers are concept gaps and which are slips, so practice targets what actually needs fixing.