NESA Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield NESA facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the distance between points (1, 2) and (4, 6)? → 5
2. In an expository essay, what is the role of a topic sentence in a body paragraph? → To introduce the main idea of that paragraph
3. A number line shows points at −3, 0, and 4. Which order lists them from least to greatest? → −3, 0, 4
4. What type of graph is best for showing how data changes over time? → Line graph
5. A stem-and-leaf plot shows stems 4, 5, 6 with leaves 4|2,5 and 5|1,3,8 and 6|0,4. What is the greatest value? → 64
6. Which word has a connotation that suggests something is positive? → Persistent
7. Simplify: 3(2x − 4) + 5x → 11x − 12
8. Which process is primarily responsible for the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere? → Photosynthesis
9. When writing a narrative, what does 'point of view' refer to? → The perspective from which the story is told
10. Students record daily high temperatures in Omaha for one week: 42, 45, 38, 50, 47, 44, 41. What is the range? → 12
11. During photosynthesis, plants use carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to produce glucose and which other substance? → Oxygen
12. Nebraska is located in which U.S. region? → The Great Plains
13. Evaluate: 6² − (3 + 1) × 2 → 28
14. A set of test scores is: 72, 85, 90, 68, 85, 92, 75. What is the mode? → 85
15. Which measure of central tendency is most affected by an outlier? → Mean
16. What is a run-on sentence? → Two or more independent clauses joined without correct punctuation
17. Which revision corrects the run-on sentence: 'I love Nebraska summers they are warm and sunny.' → I love Nebraska summers. They are warm and sunny.
18. Which of the following is the correct order from least to greatest: 0.6, 2/3, 5/8, 0.65? → 0.6, 5/8, 0.65, 2/3
19. Which transition word best shows contrast between two ideas? → However
20. Which of the following is equivalent to 3/4? → 0.75
21. What does the prefix 'un-' mean in the word 'unlikely'? → Not
22. What is the greatest common factor (GCF) of 24 and 36? → 12
23. Which sentence is written in active voice? → Maria wrote the report.
24. What is the main purpose of a concluding paragraph? → To restate the thesis and summarize key points
25. Which fraction is greater than 1/2? → 5/8
26. A triangle has angles measuring 45° and 65°. What is the measure of the third angle? → 70°
27. A survey of 200 Nebraska students found that 50 students walk to school. What percentage walks to school? → 25%
28. Which expression represents 'three times a number decreased by 7'? → 3n − 7
29. A scatterplot shows points trending upward from left to right. What type of correlation does this represent? → Positive correlation
30. Which literary device is used in the following sentence: "The leaves danced in the wind"? → Personification