How to Win at Make 24: Strategy Guide

By Edward Kelly — Puzzle Designer & Creator of Daily Logic Games

Make 24 is one of the most beloved mental math puzzles of all time. Given four numbers, your goal is to use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to reach exactly 24. While some combinations pop out immediately, others can leave you scratching your head. Here are the top strategies to master the game.

Strategy 1: Find the Factors of 24

The easiest and most common way to reach 24 is through multiplication. Before you do anything else, look at your four numbers and see if you can create one of the common factor pairs for 24:

• 8 × 3 = 24
• 6 × 4 = 24
• 12 × 2 = 24

For example, if you have the numbers 2, 3, 4, 6, you immediately spot a 6 and a 4. You just need to figure out what to do with the remaining 2 and 3. Since 3 - 2 = 1, and 1 × 24 = 24, you can do: (3 - 2) × 6 × 4 = 24.

Strategy 2: Work Backward from the Target

If looking for factors doesn't work, try working backward. Assume one of your numbers is the final piece of the puzzle.

If you have a 5, ask yourself: "How could I use a 5 to get 24?" You could do 29 - 5, 19 + 5, or maybe even 120 ÷ 5. Then, look at your remaining three numbers and see if they can create 29, 19, or 120.

Strategy 3: Handling Prime Numbers

Prime numbers like 5, 7, 11, and 13 can be incredibly frustrating because they don't cleanly divide into 24. Your immediate goal should be to manipulate these primes into composite numbers.

Have a 7? Try adding a 1 to make it an 8, or subtracting a 1 to make it a 6. For example, with 7, 1, 3, 6: You can turn the 7 into a 6 by doing 7 - 1 = 6. Then you have 6, 3, 6. Wait, 6 × 6 = 36, 36 - 12? That doesn't work. How about turning the 7 into an 8? 7 + 1 = 8. Now you have 8, 3, 6. 8 × 3 = 24. But you still have a 6! Actually, the answer is (7 - 3) × 6 × 1 = 24.

Strategy 4: The Zero Trick

Sometimes you have an extra number that you just can't get rid of. If you have already built a 24 but have two numbers left, check if you can make a zero! If you can combine the two remaining numbers to equal 0, you can just add or subtract it from your 24 without changing the value.

For example, with 4, 6, 8, 8: You can make 24 with 4 × 6. You have two 8s left. 8 - 8 = 0. Then 24 + 0 = 24!