Whether you’re thinking of a career as an accountant or just trying to balance your checkbook, you face math in some way, shape or form every single day.

Not only are strong math skills important to doing well in school, they are also critical to your success in everyday life. You have to pay bills; plan for a financially secure future; pay taxes; and you probably split the cable bill with your roommate.

A Language All Its Own Think of mathematics as its own language. Just like the language of words, grammar, and punctuation, the language of math is precise. It helps to know as much of the rules, vocabulary, and methods as possible to make informed decisions about problems on a test or in day-to-day life.

So the main lesson here is to look at the big picture. Look at how individua l parts of a problem relate to a whole. You’ll gain a better understanding of the concepts behind the numbers. And in the process, you’ll gain a better understanding of the world around you.

Practice Questions

Try out the practice problems below and see how you do. Each represents some important math concepts that are critical to success at school, on the job, and in life. The answers are below.

1. In May, Gina sold 40 percent more magazine subscriptions than she had in April. In June, she sold 20 percent more subscriptions than she had in May. The number of magazine subscriptions Gina sold was what percent greater in June than in April?

(A) 60

(B) 64

(C) 68

(D) 72

(E) 80