What's on the 4th grade NC EOG Math test?

The NC 4th-grade EOG Math test covers five domains: operations and algebraic thinking, multi-digit arithmetic, fractions and decimals, measurement and data, and geometry. It’s a step up from 3rd grade in two big ways: the numbers get bigger (up to 100,000), and decimals show up for the first time.

Below is every standard the test covers, grouped by domain, in parent language.

Operations & Algebraic Thinking (OA)

4.OA.1 — Multiplicative comparison

Understand that “5 times as many” is different from “5 more.” If a red hat costs $18 and that’s 3 times the cost of a blue hat, the blue hat costs $6. Distinguish additive comparison from multiplicative comparison.

4.OA.3 — Two-step word problems with all four operations

Solve two-step problems mixing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Interpret remainders in context — sometimes you round up (“how many buses?”), sometimes down (“how many full bags?”), sometimes the remainder itself is the answer.

4.OA.4 — Factor pairs, multiples, prime, and composite

Find factor pairs for numbers up to 50. Recognize when a number is a multiple of a one-digit number. Identify whether a number is prime (only factors are 1 and itself) or composite (more than two factors). Common misconception: 1 is neither prime nor composite.

4.OA.5 — Generate and analyze growing patterns

Given a rule (“add 3”), generate a number or shape pattern. Or analyze a pattern and figure out the rule. Includes spotting features the rule doesn’t explicitly state — like “every term is even.”

Number & Operations in Base Ten (NBT)

4.NBT.1 — Place value: 10× to the right

A digit in one place is worth 10 times what it is in the place to its right. Numbers up to 100,000. Lays the foundation for decimal place value in 5th grade.

4.NBT.2 — Read, write, and represent multi-digit numbers

Read and write whole numbers up to 100,000 in numerals, word form, and expanded form. Flexibly handle nontraditional expansions like “3 hundreds + 18 tens + 5 ones.”

4.NBT.7 — Compare multi-digit numbers

Compare two multi-digit numbers (up to 100,000) using <, =, >, reasoning about place value.

4.NBT.4 — Add and subtract multi-digit numbers

Fluently add and subtract whole numbers up to 100,000 using the standard algorithm. This is the first grade where the standard algorithm (“carrying and borrowing”) is expected.

4.NBT.5 — Multi-digit multiplication

Multiply up to 3-digit by 1-digit, and 2-digit by 2-digit, using place-value strategies, area models, and partial products. The standard U.S. algorithm is notrequired at 4th grade — that’s 5th.

4.NBT.6 — Long division

Divide up to 3-digit dividends by 1-digit divisors. Includes finding remainders and using strategies like partial quotients, place value, and the relationship to multiplication. The traditional long-division algorithm comes later — 4th grade focuses on conceptual understanding.

Number & Operations — Fractions (NF)

4.NF.1 — Equivalent fractions

Explain why two fractions are equivalent using area and length models — the parts may differ in number and size, but the total is the same. 2/4 = 1/2.

4.NF.2 — Compare fractions with unlike numerators and denominators

Compare two fractions even when both the numerators and denominators are different. Strategies: benchmark fractions (“3/8 is less than half, 2/3is more”), common numerators or denominators, area and length models. Cross-multiplication is not the expected strategy in 4th grade.

4.NF.3 — Add and subtract fractions with like denominators

Add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers when the denominators match. Includes decomposing a fraction into a sum of unit fractions, and word problems modeled with visual representations.

4.NF.4 — Multiply a fraction by a whole number

Understand that 3/8 is 3 copies of 1/8. Multiply a whole number by a fraction (4 × 2/3 = 8/3). Includes finding a fractional amount of a set (“1/5of 20 apples”).

4.NF.6 — Decimal notation for tenths and hundredths

Decimals appear for the first time. Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 and 100 — 32/100 = 0.32. Add tenths and hundredths by finding an equivalent fraction first.

4.NF.7 — Compare decimals to hundredths

Compare two decimals to hundredths using <, =, >. The big trap: thinking 0.21 > 0.3 because “21 is bigger than 3.” Reasoning with grids and number lines fixes this.

Measurement & Data (MD)

4.MD.1 — Metric measurement: one-step problems

Solve one-step problems involving metric measurements (cm/m, g/kg, mL/L) when all measurements share the same unit. No conversions yet in this standard.

4.MD.2 — Convert metric measurements (larger to smaller units)

Convert from a larger metric unit to a smaller one: meters to centimeters, kilograms to grams, liters to milliliters. The skill: 1 m = 100 cm, so a 3-meter rope is 300 cm.

4.MD.8 — Elapsed time across the hour

Solve time problems that cross the hour (3rd grade stayed within the hour). “A movie starts at 2:30 p.m. and lasts 1 hour 35 minutes. When does it end?”

4.MD.3 — Area and perimeter

Apply A = l × w and P = 2(l + w) to rectangles. Find areas of rectilinear (L-shaped) figures by decomposing them. Explore problems with fixed area and varying perimeter, or fixed perimeter and varying area.

4.MD.4 — Frequency tables, scaled bar graphs, line plots

Distinguish categorical data (goes in a bar graph) from numerical data (goes in a line plot). Read and create scaled bar graphs and line plots. Solve one- and two-step problems using the data.

4.MD.6 — Angles and angle measurement

Measure and sketch angles with a protractor (in whole-number degrees). Identify acute (< 90°), right (90°), obtuse (> 90°, < 180°), and straight (180°) angles. Find unknown angles by adding or subtracting.

Geometry (G)

4.G.1 — Points, lines, rays, angles, parallel and perpendicular

Draw and identify points, line segments, lines, rays, angles, parallel lines, and perpendicular lines. Recognize these features in shapes.

4.G.2 — Classify triangles and quadrilaterals

Classify triangles by side length (equilateral, isosceles, scalene) and angle (acute, right, obtuse). Classify quadrilaterals by parallel sides, perpendicular sides, and angle types. Note: North Carolina uses the exclusive definition of trapezoid — exactly one pair of parallel sides — so a parallelogram is not a trapezoid.

4.G.3 — Lines of symmetry

Identify and draw lines of symmetry in 2-D figures. A square has 4 lines; a non-square rectangle has 2; a circle has infinitely many. Some letters of the alphabet have symmetry, others don’t.

What the test looks like

The 4th-grade Math EOG is a mix of multiple-choice and gridded-response items. Calculators are not permitted on the 4th-grade Math EOG. A reference sheet with measurement conversions and common formulas is provided.

How to prepare for it

4th grade is when the math curriculum gets noticeably harder: long division, multi-digit multiplication, decimals, fraction comparison. The kids who do best are usually the ones who keep their multiplication facts sharp through the year.

• Identify weak standards (a diagnostic helps) and drill those specifically. Random review wastes time.
• Keep multiplication fact fluency sharp — everything from long division to fraction work depends on it.
• For word problems, slow down: read once for the situation, read again to write the equation, then compute.
• Practice on paper. The test is on paper.

For structured per-standard practice:

• 4th-grade EOG practice on EOG Practice — kid-facing practice mapped to each standard above.
• Browse every 4th-grade NC standard with explanations and sample questions.

Where to find released tests

NCDPI publishes released EOG test forms from prior years. The released Math forms include an answer key with each item’s standard code, so you can see exactly which standards a real test emphasized.

Related

• What’s on the 4th-grade NC EOG Reading test?
• When are the NC EOG tests?
• EOG scoring and achievement levels (1–5)