ACT WorkKeys Applied Math Practice Problems: 12 Workplace Scenarios with Step-by-Step Explanations
Practice 12 workplace-style ACT WorkKeys Applied Math problems with setup notes, trap answers, and score-level coaching. The goal is not just getting the final number. It is learning how to translate job language into the right operation and unit.
How to use these practice problems
Do not read these like a normal article. Pause before each explanation and decide what the job decision is. ACT describes WorkKeys assessments as measuring foundational workplace skills, and Applied Math is built around using math in job-style situations involving money, time, measurement, quantity, tables, charts, and multi-step workplace decisions.
Calculators are allowed on WorkKeys Applied Math, but every problem can be solved without one. A calculator helps with arithmetic. It will not choose the operation, catch a unit mismatch, or tell you when a supply order needs to be rounded up.
Study this way
Use the answer explanations to practice setup, not just the final number. If you miss a question, label the miss by type: wrong operation, wrong number, missed conversion, misread table, bad rounding, or stopped one step too early.
Official resources
Quick answer key
Do not stop at the answer key. The explanation is where the score improvement happens.
| Problem | Skill tested | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unit price | Supplier B |
| 2 | Percent discount | $161.50 |
| 3 | Ratio / proportion | 45 ounces |
| 4 | Measurement conversion | 9 pieces |
| 5 | Area and package rounding | 7 boxes |
| 6 | Volume | 96 cubic feet |
| 7 | Table reading | $186 |
| 8 | Production rate | 630 parts |
| 9 | Inventory shortage | 14 cases |
| 10 | Elapsed time and pay | $153.75 |
| 11 | Blueprint scale | 18 feet |
| 12 | Multi-step purchasing | $1,483 |
Comparing Unit Prices
A maintenance department is buying work gloves. Supplier A sells 24 pairs for $42. Supplier B sells 36 pairs for $59.40. Which supplier has the lower cost per pair?
Step-by-step solution
$42 ÷ 24 = $1.75 per pair
$59.40 ÷ 36 = $1.65 per pair
Supplier B has the lower cost per pair.
Correct answer: Supplier B
Why people miss it: Supplier A has the lower total price, but the question is about the better unit price, not the cheaper invoice total.
Discount and Final Price
A warehouse buys a replacement part listed at $190. The supplier gives a 15% discount. What is the final price after the discount?
Step-by-step solution
$190 × 0.15 = $28.50 discount
$190 − $28.50 = $161.50 final price
Correct answer: $161.50
Trap answer: $28.50 is only the discount amount.
Ratio for a Cleaning Solution
A cleaning mixture uses 5 ounces of concentrate for every 2 gallons of water. A crew needs to mix 18 gallons of water. How many ounces of concentrate are needed?
Step-by-step solution
18 ÷ 2 = 9 groups
9 × 5 = 45 ounces
Correct answer: 45 ounces
Why people miss it: Multiplying 18 × 5 ignores that the 5 ounces apply to every 2 gallons, not every gallon.
Converting Feet to Inches Before Dividing
A worker has a 12-foot piece of metal tubing. Each finished piece must be 16 inches long. How many full 16-inch pieces can be cut from the tubing?
Step-by-step solution
12 feet × 12 inches = 144 inches
144 ÷ 16 = 9 pieces
Correct answer: 9 pieces
WorkKeys tip: When units do not match, convert before calculating.
Area and Rounding Up for Supplies
A rectangular break room is 18 feet long and 14 feet wide. Floor tile is sold in boxes that cover 40 square feet. How many boxes are needed to cover the floor?
Step-by-step solution
18 × 14 = 252 square feet
252 ÷ 40 = 6.3 boxes
Round up because 6 boxes only cover 240 square feet.
Correct answer: 7 boxes
Trap answer: 6 boxes leaves part of the floor uncovered.
Finding Volume
A storage container is 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 3 feet high. What is the volume of the container?
Step-by-step solution
8 × 4 × 3 = 96 cubic feet
Correct answer: 96 cubic feet
Why people miss it: Length × width only gives the base area. Volume needs the height too.
Reading a Table Before Calculating
A company uses this supply chart: safety glasses cost $18 per box and need 4 boxes; ear plugs cost $12 per box and need 6 boxes; dust masks cost $21 per box and need 2 boxes. What is the total cost?
Step-by-step solution
$18 × 4 = $72
$12 × 6 = $72
$21 × 2 = $42
$72 + $72 + $42 = $186
Correct answer: $186
WorkKeys tip: Read across the row before calculating. Do not mix values from different rows.
Production Rate
A machine produces 210 parts every 2 hours. If it runs at the same rate for 6 hours, how many parts will it produce?
Step-by-step solution
6 ÷ 2 = 3 periods
210 × 3 = 630 parts
You can also find the hourly rate first: 210 ÷ 2 = 105, then 105 × 6.
Correct answer: 630 parts
Inventory Shortage
A store needs 480 bottles of water for an event. There are already 144 bottles in storage. Bottles are sold in cases of 24. How many cases must the store buy?
Step-by-step solution
480 − 144 = 336 bottles still needed
336 ÷ 24 = 14 cases
Correct answer: 14 cases
WorkKeys tip: Words like already, remaining, left, or additional often mean subtract first.
Elapsed Time and Pay
A worker earns $20.50 per hour. On Monday, she works from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. How much does she earn for Monday?
Step-by-step solution
7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. = 7.5 hours
7.5 × $20.50 = $153.75
Correct answer: $153.75
Why people miss it: 30 minutes is 0.5 hours, not 0.30 hours.
Blueprint Scale
A simple workplace diagram uses a scale of 1 inch = 6 feet. On the diagram, a wall measures 3 inches. How long is the actual wall?
Step-by-step solution
3 × 6 = 18 feet
Correct answer: 18 feet
WorkKeys tip: Ask what one drawing unit represents in real life, then scale from there.
Multi-Step Purchasing Problem
A contractor needs to buy lumber for a job. Each bundle contains 12 boards and costs $204. The job requires 84 boards. Delivery costs $55. What is the total cost, including delivery?
Step-by-step solution
84 ÷ 12 = 7 bundles
7 × $204 = $1,428 lumber cost
$1,428 + $55 = $1,483 total cost
Correct answer: $1,483
Trap answer: $1,428 leaves out delivery.
How to decide which operation the question wants
The fastest way to improve on WorkKeys Applied Math is to stop asking what formula to use and start asking what job decision is being made.
| Wording in the question | Likely math move |
|---|---|
| per, each, for every | Divide or use a ratio |
| total cost | Multiply, then add if needed |
| remaining, left, still needed | Subtract |
| better deal | Find unit price |
| how many boxes, cases, packages | Divide, then round up if needed |
| same rate | Find the rate, then multiply |
| actual length from a drawing | Use the scale |
| including tax, delivery, fee | Add the extra cost |
| after discount | Subtract the discount |
| area or cover | Length x width |
The one habit that prevents most wrong answers
Write the unit beside every number, not just the number itself.
Bad scratch work
18 × 14 = 252 → 252 ÷ 40 = 6.3 → answer: 6
Better scratch work
18 ft × 14 ft = 252 sq ft → 252 sq ft ÷ 40 sq ft per box = 6.3 boxes → need full boxes, so 7 boxes
Unit labels help you catch feet versus inches, minutes versus hours, items versus cases, and cost per box versus total cost before the wrong answer locks in.
How these problems map to score levels
| Problem type | Likely difficulty range |
|---|---|
| One-step multiplication or division | Level 3-4 |
| Unit price, percent, elapsed time | Level 4-5 |
| Ratios, conversions, area, tables | Level 5-6 |
| Blueprint scale and multi-step purchasing | Level 6-7 |
The higher-level questions are not harder because the arithmetic is exotic. They are harder because the setup is easier to misread.
Fast review checklist before your next set
- Compare two prices using unit cost
- Find a percent discount and final price
- Scale a ratio up or down
- Convert feet to inches before dividing
- Find area for flooring, paint, or covering problems
- Find volume when three dimensions are given
- Read the correct row and column from a table
- Find a production rate
- Subtract existing inventory before buying more
- Convert minutes into decimal hours for pay problems
- Use a drawing scale
- Add delivery, tax, or fees when the question asks for total cost
Next step: turn missed problems into a study plan
The best way to use practice problems is not to count how many you got right. It is to label why you missed the ones you missed.
- I chose the wrong operation.
- I used the wrong number.
- I ignored the unit.
- I forgot to convert.
- I rounded the wrong way.
- I stopped one step too early.
- I misread the table.
- I used the discount instead of the final price.
- I forgot to add delivery, tax, or another cost.
If you want more practice, take the quiz and compare your misses against those categories. If you want help building a targeted plan, the SimpuTech AI coach can walk through each miss and focus on the exact workplace math skill behind it.