“It is a matter of which convention you use, not math itself.”
As I stated a few posts earlier, it depends whether you use BODMAS or PEMDAS. The elementary & high schools in the U.S. are still using PEMDAS. If you want to pass exams to get into college, you use PEMDAS.
You are correct.
My point is that the answer one gets, assuming it’s either 16 or 1, and further assuming the answer is based on the accurate application of the method used, has absolutely no bearing on whether one is “good at math”, “bad at math”, or anywhere in between.
BTW, all I ever learned in school was “mdas”. And I made it through vector calculus - div, grad, curl, and all that.