Critical Thinking and the GED
by Leonard Williams
Over 700,000 people take the GED each year…not surprising, considering that 39 million American adults lack a high school diploma. But almost half of GED candidates fail the tests on their first try. Why? According to the GED Academy, the key is critical thinking.
Over 700,000 people take the GED high school equivalency exam each year, but only around 400,000 pass the test. Why do so many people fail on the first try? Many students believe that learning facts is more important than learning how to think about information, but according to The GED Academy, the thinking process is much more important than learning facts.
“The problem is that many people study the wrong things,” says Michael Ormsby, president of The GED Academy. “The good news is that you don’t need to do boring memorization. The GED is primarily a test of thinking skills.” The GED consists of five subject area tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. However, the emphasis of these tests is not generally on remembering facts or knowing specific pieces of information. Instead, the tests focus on test-takers’ thinking skills, such as the ability to solve problems, interpret information, and evaluate explanations.
“Critical thinking is the term that you hear all the time,” says Ormsby. “But what does it mean? How can you think critically? Really, it just means that you can think about something clearly. Clear thinking is something anyone can learn.”
The GED Academy’s GED prep program emphasizes teaching critical thinking skills. Students learn to approach problems in several ways and target thinking skills like application and evaluation. “The GED asks you to understand cause and effect, to come to conclusions about information, to understand different points of view, and to see the difference between facts and opinions,” Ormsby says. “That sounds like a lot, but it’s all a part of clear thinking.”
Critical thinking techniques are taught throughout the GED Academy’s passGED Study Program, in every discipline, through learners’ interaction with virtual students in a virtual classroom. “The best way to learn thinking skills is to get inside other students’ heads, to watch and listen, and think through things with other learners,” says Ormsby. “It’s a lot easier than people imagine. It’s even fun.”
For more information about the GED test and GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at http://www.passGED.com, or call 1-888-880-2164.
