Tate finishes high school in 1 year less than normal.  It takes him 3 times that long to get his bachelor's degree and Ph.D.  How many years did he spend in high school and college?
He finished high school in 4-1=<<4-1=3>>3 years
It takes him 3*3=<<3*3=9>>9 years to finish tertiary education
So he spends 3+9=<<3+9=12>>12 years on this education
#### 12