College Algebra CLEP Prep 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The first step to solving this equation is to distribute the 6 to 2x and -3, which gives us 12x - 18 = 24. Next, we need to isolate the variable by adding 18 to both sides, giving us 12x = 42. Finally, we divide both sides by 12 to get x = 3. While it may seem that the solution is -1 because of the negative sign in the original equation, it is important to remember to distribute the 6 first. The other options, 4 and -4, are also incorrect because they do not satisfy the original equation when substituted in for x. Additionally, the coefficient in front of the parentheses is crucial in this problem to correctly distribute the 6 and find the correct value of x.