GED Test Scores can be used to configure your national class rank, though the GED Testing Service does not endorse the conversion of your scores to a grade-point average (GPA). The scores will, however, provide a good estimate of your academic knowledge and skill sets for each content area, showing you how you stack up against traditional graduates. This is important when showing that your high school equivalency diploma carries the same weight as the traditional high school path. Obviously, you want your GED Test Scores to be as high as they can be to overcome any added stigmas that employers may (unfairly) place on your path to high school completion. To help you do that, we’ve put together six quick tips for how you should approach this exam when you get ready to take it. Let’s get started!
1. Math Tip
On the math portion of the test, make sure that you review algebra and geometry heavily. If you are coming at the GED later in life and haven’t worked regularly within the confines of an academic textbook, then you will want to get your hands on whatever you can to freshen up. If you are of high school age but need your GED in order to complete high school on time with the rest of your peers, then this should come easier for you, but regardless, start reviewing at once so you’re not taken off guard when it comes time for this particular module.
2. Language Arts/Social Studies Tip
On the language arts section of the GED, reading and writing skills are essential. You’re not going to get far without them, and they will also take you far into other non-English related modules (like math, for instance). Two suggestions here: 1) On reading, consider refining your abilities through news articles, which generally run in the 400 to 1,000 word range online. This is a great way to see good writing at work and catch up on world events, which can keep you informed throughout the exam. 2) On writing, start keeping a blog. You can make it a private blog if you want, just have something that keeps you accountable to updating every day. The act of regularly composing your own sentences, correcting spelling/grammar mistakes, etc., will prepare you for many of the questions that you encounter on the test.
3. Organization Tip
Getting organized is another essential part of preparing for the GED test because it helps you break down the test as a whole, isolate the areas where you require the most help, and then strategize for how you will work to achieve proficiency in those specific areas. One of the vital elements of your organizational journey is to plan plenty of time for practice studies in the home stretch leading up to the day of the exam. Try to plan out how many practice tests you wish to take at minimum. Make sure that you have time to review each practice test’s results and work on the problems that give you trouble.
4. Use Multiple Sources
We may be a little biased here, but for the good of your pocketbook, we recommend you start out with the free GED test that we offer here at 4Tests, and to also incorporate other test prep services in the mix. By seeing how multiple organizations set up their tests and examining the kinds of questions they ask, you are bound to be ready for anything when it comes time to sit down and answer questions for real. As for the question of how many different test prep guides you should use, we would try at least three (ours included).
5. Budget Your Time
Being a time budgeter means that you have an overview of the test in mind before you begin. You know how long that you can afford to spend for each question on average, and then you focus on answering the easier (to you) questions first and saving the longer amounts of time for questions where you have an idea but are uncertain of the answer straightaway. For questions that are pure guess — and there are likely to be a few of those — save them for the end. As you go, you may want to try and recalculate based on what you know about how much time is remaining and how many questions you have left. If the average question starts out as two minutes per question and you are able to answer half in 10 seconds or less, then you’re going to have an extra one minute, 50 seconds that you can add to the overall time budget for each one. Divide that new time by the amount of questions you have left, and you’ll have a new average time per question figure that you can work from. This can work to calm your nerves as you dig deeper into the test. It can also instill a sense of urgency for when you’re running out of time and have to start guessing.
6. Eliminate Your Options
As you hone in on each question, try to eliminate the answers that are clearly wrong from the mix, making notes to yourself as you go along. When you do get down to the final minutes of the test, you will have a better chance at coming to an accurate conclusion if you’ve trimmed the fat from your question. Doing this will also give you some indication of the questions that are iffy versus the ones that will, in the end, be pure guess.
In Summary
Getting high GED test scores is challenging but not impossible (or even improbable). As long as you give yourself enough lead time, apply yourself to study materials and basic educational concepts, you will be well on your way to a score that knocks it out of the park and puts you right up there with the very best traditional graduates. The GED is not inferior, and it’s not an easy way out. Don’t let anyone tell you differently, and don’t be intimidated by it. If you need any further assistance, here’s the link to that free GED exam again. Good luck!
Aric Mitchell's work appears regularly here at 4tests.com and across the web for sites, such as The Inquisitr and Life'd. A former high school teacher, his passion for education has only intensified since leaving the classroom. At 4tests, he hopes to continue passing along words of encouragement and study tips to ensure you leave school ready to face an ever-changing world.
GED Test Scores can be used to configure your national class rank, though the GED Testing Service does not endorse the conversion of your scores to a grade-point average (GPA). The scores will, however, provide a good estimate of your academic knowledge and skill sets for each content area, showing you how you stack up against traditional graduates. This is important when showing that your high school equivalency diploma carries the same weight as the traditional high school path. Obviously, you want your GED Test Scores to be as high as they can be to overcome any added stigmas that employers may (unfairly) place on your path to high school completion. To help you do that, we’ve put together six quick tips for how you should approach this exam when you get ready to take it. Let’s get started!
