MAP Growth practice questions
MAP Growth practice questions for 5th grade math, with answers explained
Ten math questions in the style of MAP Growth. Tap an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Point of Progress practice questions, not NWEA’s. Tap an answer to start.
Operations and algebraic thinking questions
Question 1 · Operations and algebraic thinking
What number comes next in this pattern? 1, 2, 4, 8, ___
Show the answer and why
Answer: C. 16
Each number is double the one before, so next is 16.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- A. 4 - goes backwards instead of forwards
- B. 13 - uses the wrong step size
- D. 9 - just adds one
Question 2 · Operations and algebraic thinking
A machine turns each input into an output. It turns 2 into 16, 9 into 37 and 10 into 40. Which rule does the machine use?
Show the answer and why
Answer: A. multiply by 3 and add 10
Test a rule against every row, not just the first. Multiply by 3 and add 10 sends 2 to 16, 9 to 37 and 10 to 40.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- B. multiply by 3 - spots the multiplication and ignores the constant
- C. multiply by 3 and subtract 10 - gets the sign of the constant the wrong way round
- D. add 10 and multiply by 3 - adds first and multiplies second, in the wrong order
Question 3 · Operations and algebraic thinking
A sequence starts at 6. Each term after that is the term before it multiplied by 4 and then increased by 2. What is term number 5?
Show the answer and why
Answer: A. 1,706
Applying the rule term by term gives 6, 26, 106, 426, 1,706, so term 5 is 1,706.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- B. 2,216 - adds before multiplying instead of after
- C. 6,826 - applies the rule one time too many
- D. 86 - treats the sequence as adding the same amount each time
Number and operations questions
Question 4 · Number and operations
Order these fractions from least to greatest: 1/2, 2/3, 1/4.
Show the answer and why
Answer: A. 1/4, 1/2, 2/3
Rewritten over a common denominator of 12 they are 3/12, 6/12, 8/12, so the order from least to greatest is 1/4, 1/2, 2/3.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- B. 1/2, 1/4, 2/3 - orders by the numerators and ignores the denominators
- C. 1/2, 2/3, 1/4 - orders by the denominators and ignores the numerators
- D. 1/4, 2/3, 1/2 - separates the far-apart fractions but not the two closest
Question 5 · Number and operations
Which decimal is the greatest: 0.014, 0.37, 0.01, 0.9?
Show the answer and why
Answer: A. 0.9
Line the numbers up on the decimal point and compare tenths first; 0.9 is the greatest.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- B. 0.37 - compared the digits as whole numbers, ignoring place value
- C. 0.01 - chose the least instead of the greatest
- D. 0.014 - assumed that more decimal places means a larger number
Question 6 · Number and operations
Which of these numbers is prime: 51, 57, 87, 103?
Show the answer and why
Answer: B. 103
103 has no factors other than 1 and itself, while 51 = 3 x 17, 57 = 3 x 19, 87 = 3 x 29.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- A. 87 - composite: 87 = 3 x 29
- C. 57 - composite: 57 = 3 x 19
- D. 51 - composite: 51 = 3 x 17
Point of Progress in 20 seconds
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See where they stand →Measurement and data questions
Question 7 · Measurement and data
Pens cost $2.50 each. Noah has $14.00. What is the greatest number of pens they can buy?
Show the answer and why
Answer: A. 5
Each pen costs $2.50, and $14.00 divided by $2.50 gives 5 whole pens.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- B. 6 - rounds up past the money available
- C. 4 - uses the wrong price
- D. 14 - ignores the price entirely
Question 8 · Measurement and data
A shop opens at 10:50 in the morning and closes at 2:15 in the afternoon. How long is it open?
Show the answer and why
Answer: C. 3 hours 25 minutes
Counting on from 10:50 to 2:15 in the afternoon gives 3 hours 25 minutes.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- A. 3 hours 35 minutes - subtracted the minute figures instead of counting on
- B. 8 hours 35 minutes - subtracted the clock readings as if the afternoon hours were not after 12
- D. 4 hours 25 minutes - counted the hour at midday twice
Geometry questions
Question 9 · Geometry
Which shape is described: a triangle with three sides of equal length?
Show the answer and why
Answer: B. Equilateral triangle
That description matches exactly one shape: equilateral triangle.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- A. Scalene triangle - assumed no sides are equal
- C. Isosceles triangle - settled for only two equal sides
- D. Right triangle - classified by angle instead of by side length
Question 10 · Geometry
An angle turns 1/4 of a full turn. How many degrees is it?
Show the answer and why
Answer: D. 90 degrees
A full turn is 360 degrees, and 1/4 of 360 is 90.
Why a child might pick a wrong answer:
- A. 270 degrees - measured the rest of the turn instead of the angle
- B. 45 degrees - used a half turn of 180 degrees as the whole turn
- C. 1440 degrees - inverted the fraction before applying it
How these questions work
MAP Growth math is adaptive: every right answer makes the next question harder and every wrong one makes it easier, so the test settles where your child is working and most children get about a third of the questions wrong. A typical 5th grader scores 206 in math in the fall and 216 in the spring on the 2025 norms.
Each question has one right answer out of four. Where our bank records it, the explanation also names the likely thinking behind each wrong answer: added instead of multiplied, forgot to carry, read the question too fast. That is the useful part. A wrong answer with a reason tells you what to practise; a wrong answer on its own only tells you it was wrong.
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Get the test and workbook →What your child’s answers tell you
Ten questions are a taste, not a measurement. A child can miss one through a slip and get another by guessing, so read the pattern rather than the total: two wrong answers in the same skill area, for the same reason, say more than the score out of ten.
To see the whole picture, the full Point of Progress test does the same thing across math and reading & writing in about forty minutes: it adapts like MAP Growth, then reports every skill as strong or worth work and every wrong answer with the likely thinking behind it, and turns the gaps into a ten-week workbook. For what a 5th grade math score means, see what is a good MAP score for 5th grade, and try the 5th grade reading questions too.
Questions parents ask
Are these real MAP test questions?
No. NWEA does not share the questions in its tests, and anything sold as the real MAP questions is not. These are Point of Progress’s own questions, written in the same multiple-choice style and spread across the same kind of skill areas.
What is a good MAP math score for 5th grade?
On the 2025 norms the average 5th grader scores 206 in math in the fall and 216 in the spring. The full ranges, percentiles and the proficiency bar are on what is a good MAP score for 5th grade.
Will practising questions raise my child’s MAP score?
Knowing the format helps a child stay calm, which is worth something. What moves a RIT score is the skills underneath, so the useful step after a practice set is to work on the area where the wrong answers cluster, not to repeat more questions of the same kind.
Why does my child see questions above their grade?
Because MAP Growth is adaptive and not tied to a grade. It keeps raising the difficulty until your child starts getting questions wrong, so meeting harder questions usually means the earlier ones went well.
Is the MAP Growth math test timed?
No. MAP Growth is untimed, so there is no reason to rush. A child who slows down and checks each option usually does better than one who races, which is worth practising on the questions above.
Sources and dates
NWEA, 2025 MAP Growth Norms Quick Reference, October 2025: student achievement means by grade and season. The questions are Point of Progress’s own, from the item bank behind its adaptive test, October 2026. Point of Progress is independent and is not affiliated with NWEA. MAP and MAP Growth are trademarks of NWEA.
Where does your child actually stand?
Point of Progress is an independent at-home adaptive test for grades 3 to 10. One purchase covers math and reading & writing, and the report comes the same day: the level, what the child can already do, and the specific skills to practise next. It is not an official assessment and no school accepts the result - it is for you.
Test your child, $9.99 →or with the ten-week workbook, $19.99