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GED Basics

Here are a few things you should know about the GED exam:

1. The complete GED is made up of five tests. The five tests are:

Language Arts, Writing (Part I and Part II)

Language Arts, Reading

Social Studies

Science

Mathematics (Part I and Part II)

2. Several of the tests (Language Arts, Writing Part I; Language Arts, Reading; Social Studies; and Science) are multiple-choice tests. This means that you are given five possible answers to every question, and from the five choices, you will choose the one that best answers the question.

3. On Language Arts, Writing Part II, you will need to write an essay.

4. The Mathematics Test will also have multiple-choice questions. There will also be questions where you have to write the answer into a special section (called a grid) on the answer sheet.

5. The GED tests are timed. This means that you will have only a certain amount of time to complete each test. The entire exam takes 8 hours and 10 minutes to complete.

6. You do not have to attend a GED program in order to take the GED exam. You can study on your own to prepare for the exam, or you may already have the knowledge and skills you need to pass the exam. However, it is a good idea to first take some practice exams to find out if you are ready to take the “real” exam.

7. You can take the GED exam in English, Spanish, French, Braille, large print or by audiocassette, depending on your needs.

If you take the exam in Spanish or French, you can also take a test of English proficiency (ESL Test). If you pass the ESL test as well as the other five GED tests in Spanish or French, you will get an English GED. Getting an English GED may be helpful when you look for work or if you want to apply for college. Contact the New York State GED Testing Office at (518) 474-5906 for more information.

8. It is also possible for you to apply for a special testing accommodation, such as extended time, private testing, or frequent breaks, if you have a specific physical, psychological or learning disability. You will need to discuss your special needs with the New York State GED Testing Office. Contact the office by phone at (518) 474-5906.

First Things First: Reading the GED Tests

Before getting into more of what each of the GED tests is about, you should first understand that there is a common thread that runs through all of the GED tests.

That common thread is READING! So let’s start with that.

On most tests, your main purpose for reading is to answer questions about what you’ve read. This is especially true of the GED exam. Each of the five tests requires you to be a good reader. That means that you can at least:

  • read fast enough to finish each of the tests on time;
  • read GED-level materials without stumbling over too many words;
  • understand most of what you’re reading;
  • use or apply what you’ve read to answer the test questions; and
  • be able to read different kinds of materials, such as poems, lines from a play,  math formulas, cartoons, and graphs.

You must also understand and be able to use critical reading skills. Most of the readings and questions on the Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts tests will require that you understand and use these skills.

What are Critical Reading Skills?

  • You may be asked to decide whether something you’ve read is a fact or an opinion. A fact is a statement that can be proven to be true. An opinion is an idea that is believed but cannot be proven to be true.
  • You may be asked to make inferences about what you read. Writers don’t always come right out with their messages or meanings. When they don’t make direct statements, readers have to make inferences or “read between the lines.” When you have to combine what the text says with what it might mean, you are making an inference. As you read, look for clues to the author’s message. Put those clues together with what you know in real life. When you bring the clues and your knowledge together you can make an inference about what the author means to say.
  • You may be asked to compare or contrast two or more things or ideas about what you have read. To compare them is to look for similarities between them. To contrast them is to look for the differences between them. (You may also be asked to do this on the essay in the Language Arts, Writing test.)
  • You may be asked to draw a conclusion about what you’ve read. This means “putting together” what you’ve read in order for you to come up with a new idea or understanding about something, or deciding what information makes the best sense in a given situation.
  • You may be asked questions about time-order. In other words, what happened when and in what order did it happen? This is an important skill to have when you are reading in the Social Studies and Science tests.
  • You may be asked questions about cause and effect. In other words, if something is being described or explained to you in what you are reading, you may be expected to know if one action or event was caused or effected by another action or event. Did one thing lead to another? This is especially something you can expect to see in the Science test.
  • You may be asked how a writer used figurative language or a “figure of speech” to get a point across. In other words, did the writer say one thing but really mean something else? Sayings like, “My love is like a red, red rose,” “I smell a rat,” or “Between the devil and the deep blue sea” are examples of figurative language. You’ll see questions about figurative language mainly in the Language Arts, Reading Test.
  • And you will most likely be asked questions about what the main idea is in a reading passage, what a writer’s point of view is, what tone of voice the writer is using or what mood the writer is trying to express.

You need to have many different reading skills before you can expect to pass the GED exam. If you do not already have these skills, there are a lot of good reading comprehension and Pre-GED books you can use to help you brush up on your skills.

You might also think about getting into an adult reading program, or getting a tutor to help you improve your reading skills. Call the Office for Community Connections at the Westchester Library System at 914-231-3237 to find a program that is right for you.

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