Common Core State Standards
3rd Grade Math Standards
All 25 Common Core math standards for 3rd grade, grouped into domains and written in plain English. The official wording is one click away. 6 have free practice you can print today.
25 standards
Operations & Algebraic Thinking OA
9 standardsRepresent and solve problems involving multiplication and division.
3.OA.1
Read a multiplication fact as equal groups, like 5 × 7 as 5 groups of 7 objects.
Official wording
Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7.
3.OA.2
Read a division fact as sharing or grouping, like 56 ÷ 8 as 56 objects split into 8 equal shares.
Official wording
Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 56 ÷ 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a number of groups can be expressed as 56 ÷ 8.
3.OA.3
Solve word problems about equal groups, arrays and measurements by multiplying or dividing within 100.
Official wording
Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.
3.OA.4
Find the missing number in a multiplication or division fact, like 8 × ? = 48.
Official wording
Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers. For example, determine the unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations 8 × ? = 48, 5 = _ ÷ 3, 6 × 6 = ?
Understand properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division.
3.OA.5
Use number properties as shortcuts, like knowing 4 × 6 from 6 × 4 or finding 8 × 7 as 8 × 5 plus 8 × 2.
Official wording
Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide. Examples: If 6 × 4 = 24 is known, then 4 × 6 = 24 is also known. (Commutative property of multiplication.) 3 × 5 × 2 can be found by 3 × 5 = 15, then 15 × 2 = 30, or by 5 × 2 = 10, then 3 × 10 = 30. (Associative property of multiplication.) Knowing that 8 × 5 = 40 and 8 × 2 = 16, one can find 8 × 7 as 8 × (5 + 2) = (8 × 5) + (8 × 2) = 40 + 16 = 56. (Distributive property.)
3.OA.6
Solve a division problem by finding the missing factor, like 32 ÷ 8 as what times 8 makes 32.
Official wording
Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. For example, find 32 ÷ 8 by finding the number that makes 32 when multiplied by 8.
Multiply and divide within 100.
3.OA.7
Multiply and divide within 100 fluently, and know all one-digit times tables from memory by the end of the year.
Official wording
Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.
Solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in arithmetic.
3.OA.8
Solve two-step word problems with any of the four operations, using a letter for the unknown and checking that the answer makes sense.
Official wording
Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding.
3.OA.9
Spot patterns in the addition and multiplication tables and explain them, like why 4 times any number is even.
Official wording
Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations. For example, observe that 4 times a number is always even, and explain why 4 times a number can be decomposed into two equal addends.
Number & Operations in Base Ten NBT
3 standardsUse place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic.
3.NBT.1
Round whole numbers to the nearest ten or hundred, like 347 to 350 or to 300.
Official wording
Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.
3.NBT.2
Add and subtract within 1000 quickly and accurately, using place value and the link between addition and subtraction.
Official wording
Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.
3.NBT.3
Multiply a one-digit number by a multiple of ten from 10 to 90, like 5 × 60 or 9 × 80.
Official wording
Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations.
Number & Operations—Fractions NF
3 standardsDevelop understanding of fractions as numbers.
3.NF.1
Understand 1/4 as one of four equal parts of a whole, and 3/4 as three of those parts.
Official wording
Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.
3.NF.2
Place fractions on a number line by splitting the space from 0 to 1 into equal parts and counting them off.
Official wording
Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram.aRepresent a fraction 1/b on a number line diagram by defining the interval from 0 to 1 as the whole and partitioning it into b equal parts. Recognize that each part has size 1/b and that the endpoint of the part based at 0 locates the number 1/b on the number line.bRepresent a fraction a/b on a number line diagram by marking off a lengths 1/b from 0. Recognize that the resulting interval has size a/b and that its endpoint locates the number a/b on the number line.
3.NF.3
Tell when two fractions are equivalent, like 1/2 and 2/4, write whole numbers as fractions, and compare fractions with the same numerator or denominator.
Official wording
Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size.aUnderstand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line.bRecognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3. Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.cExpress whole numbers as fractions, and recognize fractions that are equivalent to whole numbers. Examples: Express 3 in the form 3 = 3/1; recognize that 6/1 = 6; locate 4/4 and 1 at the same point of a number line diagram.dCompare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.
Measurement & Data MD
8 standardsSolve problems involving measurement and estimation.
3.MD.1
Tell time to the nearest minute and solve word problems about how many minutes pass between two times.
Official wording
Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number line diagram.
3.MD.2
Measure and estimate liquid volume and mass in grams, kilograms and liters, and solve one-step word problems with them.
Official wording
Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l). Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent the problem.
Represent and interpret data.
3.MD.3
Draw picture graphs and bar graphs where one square stands for several items, and answer how many more or less questions from them.
Official wording
Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets.
3.MD.4
Measure lengths to the nearest half and quarter inch and show the measurements on a line plot.
Official wording
Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition.
3.MD.5
Understand area as the number of unit squares that cover a flat shape with no gaps or overlaps.
Official wording
Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.aA square with side length 1 unit, called "a unit square," is said to have "one square unit" of area, and can be used to measure area.bA plane figure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by n unit squares is said to have an area of n square units.
3.MD.6
Find the area of a shape by counting the unit squares that cover it, in square centimeters, meters, inches or feet.
Official wording
Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units).
3.MD.7
Find the area of a rectangle by multiplying its side lengths, and find the area of an L-shaped figure by splitting it into rectangles and adding.
Official wording
Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.aFind the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths.bMultiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-number side lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems, and represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning.cUse tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of a × b and a × c. Use area models to represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning.dRecognize area as additive. Find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing them into non-overlapping rectangles and adding the areas of the non-overlapping parts, applying this technique to solve real world problems.
Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter.
3.MD.8
Find a polygon's perimeter from its side lengths, find a missing side length, and show that rectangles with the same perimeter can have different areas.
Official wording
Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters.
Geometry G
2 standardsReason with shapes and their attributes.
3.G.1
Sort shapes by shared features, like knowing rhombuses, rectangles and squares are all quadrilaterals, and draw four-sided shapes that are none of those.
Official wording
Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.
3.G.2
Split a shape into equal parts and name each part as a fraction of the whole, like one of 4 equal parts is 1/4 of the shape.
Official wording
Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4 parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area of the shape.
3rd Grade Practice
Worksheet generators and printables already set up for this grade’s standards, free to use.
3rd Grade Math Standards: Questions
Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio’s own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.