To find the eighth term of the sequence defined by the formula \( a_n = 5n - 4 \), you can substitute \( n = 8 \) into the formula:
\[ a_8 = 5(8) - 4 \]
Calculating this gives:
\[ a_8 = 40 - 4 = 36 \]
Therefore, the eighth term \( a_8 \) is \( 36 \).