SSAT Upper Level Math : How to solve algebraic word problems
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SSAT Upper Level Math
All SSAT Upper Level Math Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Algebraic Word Problems
Michael scores a 95, 87, 85, 93, and a 94 on his first 5 math tests. If he wants a 90 average, what must he score on the final math test?
To solve for the final score:
Add the five past test scores and you get 454. Then set up an algebraic equation where you add 454 to 
Example Question #1 : Algebraic Word Problems
If David wants to drive to his friend's house, which is 450 miles away, in 6 hours, what is the average speed David has to drive at?
Plug in the the values for distance and time, and solve for rate.
and
Example Question #1 : Algebraic Word Problems
If the sum of the smallest and largest of three consecutive even numbers is 28, what is the value of the second largest number in the series?
The three numbers would be
Add the first and third value and you get
and
The second largest value is 
Example Question #2 : Algebraic Word Problems
Beth and Sam are 500 miles apart. If Beth travels at 60mph and leaves her house at 1pm, what time will she arrive at Sam's house?
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
9:33 PM
9:20 PM
8:33 PM
9:20 PM
Using 
Example Question #3 : Algebraic Word Problems
Greg is trying to fill a 16 oz. bottle with water. If Greg fills the bottle at 1 oz per second and the bottle leaks .2 oz per second, how long would it take for Greg to fill the bottle?
You first find the rate at which the bottle is being filled at, which is
Then you divide the entire bottle, which is 
Example Question #2 : Algebraic Word Problems
Barbara went to the store and bought a shirt for 
To get the final price, you use 
Example Question #2 : Algebraic Word Problems
Two inlet pipes lead into a large water tank. One pipe can fill the tank in 45 minutes; the other can fill it in 40 minutes. To the nearest tenth of a minute, how long would it take the two pipes together to fill the tank if both were opened at the same time?
Look at the work rates as "tanks per minute", not "minutes per tank".
The two pipes can fill the tank up at 
Let 
Example Question #3 : Algebraic Word Problems
The inlet pipe to a large water tank can fill the tank in 25 minutes; the drain of the tank can empty it in 55 minutes.
Once, the drain was left open by mistake when the tank was being filled. The mistake was not caught until the tank was full. To the nearest tenth of a minute, how long did it take to fill the tank?
Look at the work rates as "tanks per minute", not "minutes per tank".
The inlet pipe can fill the tank at a rate of 
Let 
Example Question #5 : Algebraic Word Problems
One angle of a pentagon measures 
The total of the measures of the angles of a pentagon is
One angle measures 
Example Question #1 : Algebraic Word Problems
John and Julie represented West High in a math contest. John outscored Julie by 16 points; as a team, they scored 80 points.
David and Dana represented East High in the same contest. Dana outscored David by 10 points; as a team, they scored 60 points.
Arrange the four students from highest score to lowest score.
Dana, John, Julie, David
John, Dana, Julie, David
Dana, John, David, Julie
John, Dana, David, Julie
John, Julie, Dana, David
John, Dana, Julie, David
Let Julie's score be 
Julie scored 32, and John scored 16 higher, or 48.
Let David's score be 
David's score was 25, and Dana's score was 10 higher, or 35.
In descending order of score, the students were John, Dana, Julie, David.
All SSAT Upper Level Math Resources
