To pass the GED®, you need to score a minimum of 145 on each module of the exam. By knowing what’s on the exam and its structure, you’ll know what you need to study to be ready for each module. Read on for an outline of the GED exam and click through to take practice tests.
The GED Science Section
In the GED Science Section, you are tested on your ability to understand scientific information to interpret passages and graphics, design investigations, reason from data, and work with findings using the scientific method, use reasoning to evaluate conclusions with evidence with scientific information, and apply scientific concepts, theories, probability and formulas.
The Science Section covers three main topics: earth and space science, life science, and physical science. There are also questions about the scientific method, reading and interpreting graphs, reading and interpreting scientific information, and reading and interpreting scientific experiments. The Science Section is 90 minutes long.
Take a GED science practice test.
The GED Reasoning through Mathematics Section
On this section of the GED, you are tested on your ability to perform quantitative reasoning and algebraic reasoning. The Math Section includes questions about basic math, algebra, functions and graphs, and geometry. In this section, there are also word problems, and questions asking you to interpret graphs. The test is 115 minutes long, about 2 hours.
Take a GED math practice test.
The GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Section
On this exam, you are tested on your reading and thinking skills, your writing skills, and your language skills. The GED Language Arts Section covers many different topics, including grammar, usage, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. On the exam, there are many reading sections that test your ability to choose the correct word or idea that makes the passage complete. These passages consist of fiction, general non-fiction, informational texts, and nonfiction related to science or social studies topics. This test is 150 minutes long, about 2.5 hours.
Take a GED language arts practice test.
Extended Response Essay
In addition, there is an Extended Response section on the GED. For the Extended Response, you are prompted to respond to a prompt about which side of an argument is better supported. This section is 45 minutes long, and is a part of the time for the entire language arts exam.
Read our GED extended response essay guide.
GED Social Studies Section
The GED Social Studies section tests your ability to create inferences, identify central ideas, hypotheses, and conclusions, analyze words, events, and ideas within social studies, analyze author, purpose, point of view, and their reasoning. You are also tested on analyzing and interpreting data from charts and graphs, and using mean, median, and mode in social studies contexts.
The Social Studies Section covers topics like economics, U.S. History, geography and the world, and civics and government. There are also reading sections that ask you to define words, questions that ask you to interpret images like maps, political cartoons, and graphs. This section is 70 minutes long.
Take our GED social studies practice test.
How Much Does the GED Cost?
The price of the GED is different depending on which state you live in and ranges from about $0-50 dollars per subject. You can take the test online at home in most states and it costs about $5 more per subject to take the tests online.
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