Latex: task environment not enumerating properly

Question

I am trying to create a 2 column math worksheet with the problems numbered horizontally.

The code is show below. The error is causing the enumeration (using numbers rather than letters) to render improperly:

(tsk[1]) instead of (1)

In the right column, the enumeration is rendered (tsk[1-]).

I'm working in overleaf.com. So I assume all packages are current.

A massive thanks for your able assistance! Haven't found answer on my own.

Note: Because I'm a newby, there may be extra packages in the preamble that aren't needed.

    \documentclass[12pt]{exam}

%\printanswers % uncomment to print solutions.
\printanswers
\renewcommand{\solutiontitle}{}
% MACROS
%Not sure all of these packages are necessary...but the 'taks package is certainly necessary
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{cancel}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{caption} % allows captions in minipage envir (issue w/solutions envir)
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{framed} %box para
\usepackage{tkz-euclide}
\usepackage{multicol}
\usepackage{tasks}
\pgfplotsset{compat=1.10}
%\displaystyle for all $$ math environments use \lim\limits for other environments

\usepackage[margin=0.5in]{geometry}

\everymath{\displaystyle}

%\unframedsolutions % uncomment to remove boxes from solutions
\setlength{\parindent}{0pt} % removes paragraph indentation

\pagestyle{head}
\header{Pre-Alg 03/09/20: Product Ppty of Exponents Mini-Quiz }
       {}
       {04/05/19} 

\newcommand{\pagetop}{%
  \makebox[\textwidth]{Name:\enspace\hrulefill}\par
  \vspace{4mm}
  \fbox{\fbox{\parbox{\dimexpr\textwidth-4\fboxsep-4\fboxrule}{
    \textbf {Simplify by expansion and steps shown in class. Your answer should have only POSITIVE EXPONENTS. Show all work/steps on this page.}


  }}}\par
  \bigskip
  \vspace{0.5mm}
}

\settasks{after-item-skip=5em,
          after-skip=2cm,
          label-width=2em,
          item-indent=3em,
          %change '1' to 'a' if you want letters instead of numbers
          counter-format=(tsk[1]),
          column-sep=2em
          }

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% -------------------------- DOCUMENT STARTS HERE-------------------- 
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\begin{document}

\pagetop

\begin{tasks}(2)

% Prob #1
\task $8x^3y^0\cdot 7xy^3$
\begin{solutionorbox}[5cm]
$8x^3y^0\cdot 7xy^3$
\\\\
$8^1x^3\cancel{y^0}\cdot 7^1x^1y^3$
\\\\
$8^1\cdot 7^1\cdot x^3\cdot x^1 \cdot y^3$
\\\\
$8\cdot 7\cdot x\cdot x \cdot x\cdot x\cdot y\cdot y\cdot y$
\\\\
$8\cdot 7\cdot x^4\cdot y^3$
\\\\
$56x^4y^3$
\end{solutionorbox}

% Prob #2
\task $-8uv^3\cdot 7u^4v^2$
\begin{solutionorbox}[5cm]
$-8uv^3\cdot 7u^4v^2$
\\\\
$(-8)^1u^1v^3 \cdot 7^1u^4v^2 $
\\\\
$(-8)^1\cdot 7^1\cdot u^1\cdot u^4\cdot v^3\cdot v^2$
\\\\
$(-8)\cdot 7\cdot u\cdot u\cdot u\cdot u\cdot u\cdot v\cdot v\cdot v\cdot v\cdot v$
\\\\
$(-8)\cdot 7\cdot u^5\cdot v^5$
\\\\
$-56u^5v^5$

\end{solutionorbox}

% Prob #3
\task $-a^2b^2\cdot -6a^2b^4$
\begin{solutionorbox}[5cm]
$-a^2b^2\cdot -6a^2b^4$
\\\\
$(-1)^1(a)^2b^2\cdot (-6)^1a^2b^4$
\\\\
$(-1)^1 \cdot (-6)^1 \cdot a^2 \cdot a^2 \cdot b^2 \cdot b^4 $
\\\\
$(-1)\cdot (-6) \cdot a \cdot a \cdot a \cdot a \cdot b \cdot b\cdot b\cdot b\cdot b\cdot b$
\\\\
$(-1)\cdot (-6) \cdot a^4 \cdot b^6$
\\\\
$6a^4b^6$

\end{solutionorbox}

% Prob #4
\task $\frac{xy^{-3}}{3x^3y^{-2}\cdot2x^{-3}y}$
\begin{solution}
solution
\end{solution}

% Prob #5
\task $\frac{m^{-4}n^4\cdot(mn^2)\strut^{-3}}{(m^2n^4)\strut^0}$
\begin{solution}
solution
\end{solution}

\end{tasks}

\clearpage

\newpage

\fbox{\parbox[b][10mm][c]{0.75\linewidth}{\centering{Solutions}}}\\

\begin{tasks}(2)
% Prob #1
\task $-12v^3$

% Prob #2
\task $-2x^7y^5$

% Prob #3
\task $\frac{16}{m^4n^4}$

% Prob #4
\task $\frac{16}{x^2y^8}$

% Prob #5
\task $\frac{m^{-4}n^4\cdot(mn^2)\strut^{-3}}{(m^2y^n^4)^0}$

% Prob #6
\task $-\frac{1}{27b^{12}}$

% Prob #7
\task $16b^4$

% Prob #8
\task $16$

% Prob #9
\task $-\frac{1}{12a^8}$

% Prob #10
\task $\frac{m^2}{n^8}$

%Prob #11
\task $-\frac{2y^5}{x^5}$

%Prob #12
\task $\frac{v^3}{u^7}$

%Prob #13
\task $\frac{m^{10}}{16n^2}$

%Prob #14
\task $1$

%Prob #15
\task $\frac{1}{4a^6b^4}$

%Prob #16
\task $-\frac{2b^2}{a^5}$

\end{tasks}

\end{document}

Answer 1

Instead of the deprecated (since version 1.0) counter-format option use the label option and the new syntax as shown in the following, further minimalized example.

To make your actual document compilable, you will also have to get rid of the Double superscript error messages caused by \task $\frac{m^{-4}n^4\cdot(mn^2)\strut^{-3}}{(m^2y^n^4)^0}$. I'd also encourage you to always enclose sub- and superscripts into a set of {} as for example in x^{2}.

\documentclass[12pt]{exam}
\usepackage{tasks}

\settasks{after-item-skip=5em,
          after-skip=2cm,
          label-width=2em,
          item-indent=3em,
          label=(\arabic*),
          column-sep=2em
          }
\begin{document}

\begin{tasks}(2)
\task $-12v^3$
\end{tasks}

\end{document}