Are you planning to take a GED exam to get admission to high school or for better prospects? If yes, you must be looking for some smart tips to prepare for GED and get a 650+ score quickly. Well, you are in the right place. Unlike others, in this online GED test study guide, I will give you some effective tips to help you score high in the GED efficiently. I will also present the score breakdown for each section to have a clear picture of the GED scorecard. So let’s begin and see how you can score maximum marks in GED within 3 weeks.
Follow The Best 10 GED Study Tips, And You Won’t Need Anything Else!
GED will open several opportunities for you, and the main thing is that it will help you secure admission to your favorite college, which means hard work is required. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to study all day and night. You only require 2 to 3 hours daily for practice and trust me, you will easily get a 650+ score. I will tell you the smart tips and tricks I used when preparing for the GED, and you know what? I got a 683 score! Isn’t that good? I think now you are motivated and all set to know the secret! But before this, let’s look at the sections of GED and score distribution.
GED Sections:
In GED, there are four sections in total. These are:
- Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA)
- Mathematical Reasoning
- Science
- Social Studies
Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA):
- Measures reading and writing skills.
- Scores range from 100 to 200.
- Total Time: 150 minutes
- Section 1 (27 minutes)
- Section 2 (45 minutes)
- Student Break (10 minutes)
- Section 3 (60 minutes*)
Mathematical Reasoning:
- Tests math skills and problem-solving.
- Scores range from 100 to 200.
- Total Time: 115 minutes
- Part 1 (first 5 test questions) - calculator not allowed
- Part 2 (remaining 41 test questions) - calculator allowed
Social Studies:
- Covers topics like history, economics, civics, and geography.
- Scores range from 100 to 200.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Part 1 (first 5 test questions) - calculator not allowed
- Part 2 (remaining 41 test questions) - calculator allowed
Science:
- Focuses on scientific reasoning and interpretation.
- Scores range from 100 to 200.
- Total Time: 90 minutes
Science:
- Focuses on scientific reasoning and interpretation.
- Scores range from 100 to 200.
- Total Time: 70 minutes
Brief Overview of GED Scores:
Scores below 145: Test Fail
Passing Score: 145
GED College Ready Score: 165 - 174
GED College Ready Score + Credit Score: 175 – 200
This means that if you obtain a 145 score in each section, you will pass the test, but if you want to get admission to your favorite college, you should score above 165 in each section. In short, you need to score 660+ overall as:
165 x 4 = 660 ; Its’ that simple!
Now, you must have a clear picture of the GED sections and scores. Let’s proceed further and see some tips that will help you prepare for each section.
Tips To Prepare Mathematical Reasoning Section:
Quick Solving Tricks:
The GED Math section contains fill-in-the-blanks, multiple questions, drag and drop questions. It would help if you were very smart at solving them. It would help if you learned quick-solving tips because of the limited time. You can either memorize formulas or learn some techniques to solve questions within a minute. You can find many videos on the Internet that you can use to learn small tricks to solve math questions easily.
Observe the Answers:
Look at the answer choices – are they in fractions, percent, or ratios? Stick to the same form when you do your math. Also, simplify fractions to make things easier. I believe that, if you aren’t getting the exact answer, then select the closest one and move to the next question without wasting time. If at the end of the section, you get some time, recheck this question.
Remember Important Information Only:
You don't need to memorize everything because you won’t be able to recall all the formulas. Save time by remembering important formulas, like for circles or rectangles. Also, know some prime numbers and squares up to 15. This exam is all about smartness.
Do Mental Math:
There are some questions, in which you need to find the hints. You can solve those questions at your fingertips. If a price drops by 25%, the new price is 75% of the original. Use this trick to check answers. If you're stuck, try substituting answer choices into the problem.
Consistent Practice:
Without practice, there is no way you can be good at Math. Try to solve questions on one topic daily to get a hands-on command of this.
Tips To Prepare Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) Section:
Scanning and Skimming:
You will be given questions to find answers from the passages. So instead of reading long whole passages try to do scanning and skimming. Read the chunks of the paragraphs, especially the first two lines and ending two lines and skim the middle part. Scan the important terms that will help you to solve the questions easily. Don’t try to read everything because this will constantly make you move in the loop.
Do Matching:
Read questions carefully and try to match the words with the chunks in the paragraph. Instead of wasting time, read questions, find the words in the passage, and then read that specific sentence to answer correctly.
Don’t Give Your Ideas:
Make sure you answer what the author has said. Students usually give their opinions and lose marks. Try to understand what the author is saying.
Focus on Commas:
Commas are like little helpers in sentences. Use them after transitions, in lists, and when there is a pause. Commas will help you to understand the terms and hidden meanings easily.
Tips To Prepare For Social Studies:
Understand Author’s Opinion:
Your opinion doesn’t matter if it isn’t asked. When solving Social Studies questions feel like you are a detective and solving a case. Look at how facts and words are used and how they drive you to the results.
Skip Names and Dates:
Do not try to memorize names and dates. Try to understand the happenings and events. I suggest you read newspapers and history articles to have some past knowledge. You can see which topics particularly come and build your knowledge on them.
Focus Charts: Charts are like maps. Read the title, labels, and little details carefully because most questions are from them. Understand what they are telling you. Some questions might ask about just the text or just the chart.
Tips To Prepare For the Science Section:
Give Logical Reasoning:
Science is all about logical explanation. So support your answers with proper facts and logical reasons that will be mentioned in your passages. You can use examples as evidence and support your answer.
Focus on images:
Learn how to read an image because they are telling you a lot of information. You will find answers to some questions hidden in these images. So make sure to utilize the images.
Get Hints From MCQs:
Sometimes the answers are in the questions. You might find the answer to one MCQ in the question of the other. So make sure to read the questions and their choices carefully because if you understand the question correctly giving the right answers won’t be an issue.
To Sum up…….
These are very effective strategies that I used to prepare for my GED. However, practice with consistency is the key to success. Aim yourself for a 660+ score and start your preparation. You can find many online tests, practice those regularly, and learn quick-solving tips from GED mentors and students. If still you need help with anything else or want to know more about the GED test online, feel free to contact us. Best of luck for your GED!