passGED Articles

Listen to this article
by Leonard Williams

39 million American adults never earned a high school diploma, a fact that holds them back from higher-paying jobs and higher education. Earning a GED is a solution, but many undereducated adults lack test-taking skills.

The 39 million adult Americans who have no high school degree or GED earn lower wages and aren’t eligible for many career and educational opportunities. That’s why more than 800,000 people take the GED each year. Unfortunately, many of them don’t pass on their first try. Educator Michael Ormsby of The GED Academy says, “Test-taking is a skill just like anything else. If you know a few secrets, taking tests like the GED becomes a lot easier.” Here are some of those test-taking skills…our top 5 test-taking secrets for the GED.

1. Read the questions first.

Whenever GED questions are based on a reading, chart, or picture, read the questions first. The GED questions tell you what to look for in the reading, chart, or picture. Knowing what to look for helps you focus your attention and find the answers more quickly. That means more time, and a better GED score.

2. Don’t look for tricks or traps.

There are no trick questions on the GED. The questions are designed to be clear and easy to understand. Don’t spend time looking for a hidden meaning or a loophole. If an answer seems obvious, then it’s correct.

3. Try to answer the question before looking at the choices.

When you read a GED test question, think about it without looking at the answer choices. When you come up with an answer, you’ll know for certain that it’s correct if it’s one of the choices listed. If your answer isn’t listed, you’ll need to look at the question again.

4. Eliminate wrong answers.

Good news! Most of the GED test is multiple choice. Even when you’re not certain that you have the right answer, you can usually eliminate one or more wrong answers. Narrowing down your choices while taking the GED test makes it easier to figure out the correct answer. “When you’re choosing between two answers instead of four, you’re more focused,” says Ormsby.

5. Know how to guess.

“Guessing is not just picking an answer,” says Ormsby. “You can use some logical deduction to figure out what’s probably the right answer, even if you don’t know for sure.” While you’re taking the GED, focus on key words and phrases. Are the answer choices in the reading? In the GED math test, estimating helps save time and helps you make good choices. Also, throughout the GED, comparing answers to each other can help make more of your guesses correct answers.

For more information about preparing for the GED, visit the GED Academy at http://www.passged.com