How to Study for the GED: Free Practice Tests & GED Online Classes
Studying for the GED may not be the easiest task for people who had a tough time studying in high school. Luckily, there are many study resources available for free online. Still need a guide on how to study? Check out our advice below on online GED classes, online schools, and more.
Step 1. Take a Free GED Practice Test
Before you decide to take a GED class or not, take a free GED practice test to get a measure of how much help you need and which areas you will have to study most for. The test available on the official site is only a shortened version, but you can find a list of other sites offering free tests at the bottom of our article about GED classes.
Step 2. Time Your Full GED Practice Test
When you practice with full GED practice tests, set aside some time in your schedule to time the tests to simulate the real test. This will help you learn to manage your time well and get a gauge of how much time to spend on difficult questions.
Step 3. Sign up for a GED class
If you have the time and resources, it’s worth it to take a GED class. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find free GED classes. A GED class will give you more insider tips on how to take the test, what questions to watch out for, and give you more guided help if there are problems you can’t solve.
Step 4. Know what’s on the GED
Each section is broken down as follows:
Social Studies - U.S. History (20%) - Civics & Government (50%) - Geography & the World (15%) - Economics (15%)
Reasoning through Language Arts - Fiction including drama, poetry, prose from before 1920 to after 1960 (75%) - Nonfiction including prose, visual & performing arts review and workplace & community - documents (25%)
Science - Life Science (40%) - Physical Science (40%) - Earth & Space Science (20%)
Mathematical Reasoning - Quantitative Problem Solving (45%) - Algebraic Problem Solving (55%)
Step 5. Organize your study plan around specific topics and make a study calendar
For any important test you take, it’s important to actually schedule time when you can study and have a specific plan for that time. If you need to, buy a physical calendar and plot out the time. For example, one day of studying may look like this: Wednesday – study geometry 8-9 pm. The more specific your plan is, the easier it will be for you to fulfill your study goals.
Step 6. Schedule your tests in a way that works best for you
One of the advantages of the GED is that you can schedule your subject tests separately or take them all together. To save time, test takers may wish to take all four subjects on the same day, but if time is no issue, test takers can choose to space out the test dates so they can focus on one subject at a time while studying. In most states, there is no time limit for taking and passing all four exams, but you should double check your state’s requirements before scheduling your tests this way.