The Typical American Can’t Answer These Simple 3rd Grade Math Questions

Third grade was a long time ago, and many of us have forgotten even the most basic of principles. Fortunately, they're pretty easy to remember, and calculators are ready and available now. A review is always helpful, so we put together a list of questions that are hard for the average person to answer and added some tips on how to solve problems like them.

This post was updated in July 2026 to include updated images and information about common 3rd-grade math questions.

If you have 200 apples and give 164 to a friend, how many apples do you have left?

Story problems are notorious for being difficult, but the formula for the answer is simple.

Total apples = Number of apples you have (-) number of apples you gave away

Total apples=200-164

Answer: You have 36 apples

Is 3/4 bigger than 2/3?

Fractions give everyone a headache. Here are step-by-step directions to solve this problem.

Is 3/4 > 2/3?

Find a common denominator for 4 and 3. A common denominator is a number that both divide evenly into. In this case, it would be 12.

Convert the fractions to have 12 as the denominator. Since you multiply 4 x 3 to get 12 in the first fraction, also multiply 3 x 3. Since you multiply 3 x 4 in the second fraction, multiply 2 x 4.

Simplify the equation: Is 9/12 > 8/12? With the same denominator, we can easily compare the two. 9/12 is bigger than 8/12, which means 3/4 is bigger than 2/3.

If school starts at 7:45 AM and is 6 hours and 30 minutes long, what time does it end?

Remember that time only goes to 60 when adding these numbers together.

7:45 AM + 6 hours 30 minutes = 2:15 PM

If you have a dime, a penny, and a quarter, how much money do you have?

A dime is worth 10 cents, a penny is worth 1 cent, and a quarter is worth 25 cents. Add them together: 10 + 1 + 25 = 36 cents.

If two watermelons weigh six pounds and the first one weighs four pounds, how much does the second one weigh?

Use simple subtraction to solve this question.

6 - 4 = 2 pounds

What is 348 + 356?

Methods change, but this is a fairly simple question, and you can add in columns or if you have access to a calculator.

348 + 356 = 704

If a circle has eight parts and four of them are shaded in, what percentage is shaded?

This involves creating a fraction and simplifying it, then multiplying it by 100 to get a percentage.

4/8 circles are shaded, which reduces to 1/2, so 1/2 of the circle is shaded. Take 1/2 and multiply by 100, which gives 50%.

If Anna has $10 and she buys a toy for $3.50, how much money does she have left?

Adding and subtracting with decimals is a bit more complicated, but it's easy once you figure it out.

10.00 - 3.50 = $6.50

If one straw is eight inches long and the other is six inches long, how much longer is the first straw?

Solve this one with a simple subtraction equation.

8 - 6 = 2 inches. The first straw is 2 inches longer than the second straw.

Round the number 679 to the nearest hundred.

For this, you must determine if 679 is closer to 600 or 700. It's 79 away from 600 and only 21 away from 700.

That makes the answer 700.

How many angles are in a rectangle?

A rectangle has four right angles. The right angles are 90 degrees.

What is the value of the digit 7 in the number 874?

In the number 874, the number 7 is in the tens place, while 8 is in the hundreds, and 4 is in the ones place.

In the following sequence, what is the next number? 5, 10, 15, 20, ___?

Sequences are similar to patterns, so the key to understanding them is to figure out how the previous numbers or shapes are placed. For example, in the question on the former slide, there are five numbers between each number in the sequence. That means that the final number would be 20 + 5, or 25.

This cute kitty sweater's full price is $10.00, but it's on sale for 25% off. Before you head to the register, let's figure out how much you need to buy it.

One could argue that fractions, area, and perimeter aren't as useful in real life as many other math topics. A concept that students will face their entire lives is money percentages and losses. Whether they're buying groceries, figuring out change at a retail job, or trying to calculate a discount, these math problems show up all over. In this one, you must determine what 25% of $10.00 is. Here's how to do it.

You can determine the percentage of an amount by moving the decimal two places to the left to convert the percentage to a decimal. For example, 25% becomes 0.25, and you would then multiply it by ten.

10 X .25 = $2.50

This isn't the end of the problem. The $2.50 discount applies to the sweater, not the final cost. So the next equation is 10 - 2.50 = $7.50. The sweater costs $7.50 with the discount.

If the clock shows 12:30, how long until it's 1 PM?

We've discussed time a bit before, but just like with percentages and fractions, there are different ways to answer every question. This one is posed a bit differently, as you have to figure out how much time is left between 12:30 PM and 1 PM.

Remember that time doesn't go to 100, only to 60. So 1 PM would be the 60th minute in the hour. If the clock is already at 12:30, then 60 - 30 equals 30. There are 30 minutes left until 1 PM.

What is 29 divided by 5?

Some numbers divide evenly into others, but when they don't, you've got a messy remainder on your hands. These can be hard to understand and create real-life applications, which is why so many Americans get confused by them, no matter their age.

The problem is what is 29 divided by 5? Five divides into 29 five times evenly leaves four behind. That means the answer is five with a remainder of four. This can also be written as 5 R4.

Start at 25 and count by 5. What is the eighth number in the sequence?

Here, we have another pattern-type question, but with a twist. You'll start at a pre-set number and figure out what the 8th number is. The first thing to do is create a sequence, adding five to each number starting with 25. Once you've done this eight times, you have your answer.

1. 25 + 5 = 30
2. 30 + 5 = 35
3. 35 + 5 = 40
4. 40 + 5 = 45
5. 45 + 5 = 50
6. 50 + 5 = 55
7. 55 + 5 = 60
8. 60 + 5 = 65

What is 8 X 9?

Once you've learned your multiplication tables, these questions are easier, but the higher the number, the harder it gets. If you don't have your table in front of you, you need to add eight together nine times to get the answer. Fortunately, times tables are one of the first things kids learn in math.

What is 8 X 9 = 72

Which number is greater: 247 or 366?

These get easier as time goes on, but sometimes it's difficult to compare two numbers, especially when they get bigger. Once they hit millions or billions, it's extremely difficult to solve this quickly. But this one is pretty simple.

One way to look at this is to examine the hundred spot. One has the number two and the other has the number three. That would make the second number bigger automatically. If the hundreds were the same, you would then check the tens, then the ones. In this case, 366 > 247.

If there are 12 students at each table in a class, how many students are in four tables?

This is a simple multiplication problem if you can identify the numbers. If you have four tables with 12 students, you can use your multiplication tables to find the number, or you may even remember it.

12 (students at each table) X 4 (total tables in class) = 48 students total