The GED test is run by the American Council of Education and is also known as the General Education Development test. The GED consists of five main sections which are science, social studies, language arts reading, language arts writing and mathematics. By practicing your skills in each of the following subjects you dramatically increase your chances of passing the GED test with flying colors.



Language Arts (Reading)

Language arts always includes at least some questions from drama, pre-1920 prose fiction, poetry, 1920-1960 prose fiction and post 1960 prose fiction. This wide variety of possibilities means that you never know what will be presented to you in the test, but with some practice you can apply the same principles to any situation or topic.

There are also non fiction parts of the GED test. The non-fiction section can include critical reviews, non-fiction prose or workplace/community documents. That covers the reading part of the GED practice test.

Language Arts (Writing)

There are 2 parts to the writing test. The first is made up of multiple choice questions numbering 50. They cover sentence structure, organization, mechanics and usage.

The other half of the writing test is an essay. The entire score for the language arts writing section is then totaled from these two sections.

Science

There are 50 multiple choice questions in the science GED test. They cover various scientific fields like chemistry, physics, earth science and life science.

Mathematics

There are two 25 question parts in the math test. You may use a calculator in the first half. The math test will cover subjects like geometry and measurement, statistics, data analysis, number sense and operations, algebra, probability, patterns, functions and some formulas may be provided for some questions.

Social Studies

There are 50 multiple choice questions in the social studies GED test. The areas covered include history, geography, economics and government.

You will receive a score between 200 and 800 on your GED test. To determine if you have passed the exam the scorers average your marks from all sections. Each state differs, however the average passing score is 410 for each test and an overall average of 450.

The GED test takes 7.5 hours in total but is broken down into 5 tests as outlined above. You can take each test at different times which will give you ample time to study and practice each subject. There are many websites online offering free and paid practice GED tests and study guides.

GED Courses

GED courses (General Education Development) such as online training programs prepare you for the real GED exam. Although you cannot get your GED online, you can certainly study for it online and do online courses. This means you do not have to attend any classes but can take your time and study when you wish. Taking GED courses online provides many benefits including:

- Speeding up the study process so you can get your GED faster

- Gives you a greater chance of passing

- Take prep GED courses at home

- Sometimes the registration fee is waived after you pass a preparation course

The English writing skills section requires that you write a composition. Good knowledge of English is required and you should be proficient with adverbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, spelling, punctuation etc. GED courses will take you through all you need to know to pass the English GED test.

The second part of the GED test is mathematics. GED courses will cover all the types of math that are in the exam such as algebra, arithmetic, geometry, fractions and more. Some questions will take several steps to solve a mathematical problem whilst others involve formulas that you must study.

Part three is about science. This covers physics, biology, earth science and chemistry. This is one of the hardest sections, but if studied for correctly can be passed.

Part number four covers English but is more focused on reading than writing. Here you will have to interpret literature, both classical and modern. You will generally have to write a short essay and/or answer questions about the works you read.

The final part of the GED exam covers social studies such as geography, economics, politics, history and others. Applying theory to practical situations is vital knowledge here and your writing skills must also be up to par to fully answer the questions properly.

Getting your adult education diploma through GED courses can increase your chances of employment dramatically. Record numbers of employers are now hiring people who have their GED compared with those who don't. Studying for your exam through online GED courses is the best way to prepare and ensure that you pass your exam the first time. Having passed the GED exam also puts you in a good position to gain a college or university position.