Question

Steve is about to take his fifth math test. His scores on the first four test were 84, 92, 71, and 94. What score does Steve need on his fifth test in order to have an average of exactly 85?

Answer 1

84

Explanation:

The sum of the differences of the current scores from average is ...

(84 -85) +(92 -85) +(71-85) +(94 -85) = -1 +7 -14 +9 = 1

So, to make the total of all differences from average be zero, Steve must get a score of 85 -1 = 84 on his 5th test.