Dropouts who take the GED test typically had difficulties in school. School was discouraging and dampening to low-performing students. Many GED earners felt stupid in school and simply stopped trying. Why try, when you constantly feel you will fail? Even after earning a GED diploma, GED earners can carry with them a feeling of failure from their past experiences in school, which can prevent them from working towards higher education and a brighter future. Is it possible to counteract the negative effects of past failures?

Part of preparation for the GED test should be preparation for success beyond the GED exam. That means learning life skills that many high school dropouts missed out on. Skills like self-motivation, self-esteem, goal-making (and achieving), and learning skills are often left behind in the struggle to acquire specific language, math, science, and social studies skills for the GED test.

Arguably, these skills are the most important part of studying for the GED test. They are meta-skills, ones that will improve students’ abilities to acquire new knowledge as well as improving students’ abilities to move forward after the GED, gain higher education, and improve their own opportunities. The GED diploma is not an ending, but a beginning. Adults who earn a GED credential need to continue their forward momentum, and GED preparation should give them the skills they need to improve their circumstances.

GED and GED Testing Service are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education (ACE). Use of the GED trademark does not imply support or endorsement by ACE.

Today, Fantasia is not just a single mother, but she’s also not just a successful and admired singer. Fantasia has studied for and passed her GED Test! She was also awarded an honorary degree from Andrews High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. At 25 years old, the singer walked with other graduates in a cap and gown to accept her high school degree. Fantasia’s work studying for her GED Test was documented in her reality show on VH1, Fantasia for Real.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 39 million American adults don’t have a high school diploma or GED credential. Many young adults dropped out of school because they have fallen too far behind, like Fantasia, many young women dropped out of school to have families of their own. Former dropouts are likely to be underemployed or unemployed, and many come to realize that they need a GED diploma to improve their lives through higher education or better employment.

Just as important, however, is the need to earn a GED credential to increase self-esteem and recognize self-worth. Becoming more educated provides both skills for living and the confidence to seek something more out of life. The GED Test is a comprehensive exam of high school skills, but many people can pass the exam with a little bit of preparation, especially if instruction is targeted to their individual needs.

GED and GED Testing Service are registered trademarks of the American Council on Education (ACE). Use of the GED trademark does not imply support or endorsement by ACE.

The Writing test has two parts, an essay and a multiple choice test. The better you do on the essay, the less you need to get right on the multiple choice test, and vice versa. It’s fairly easy to improve your essay. You might have some trouble with vocabulary and grammar, but you can still improve your essay score. Practice with GED essay prompts, and follow these steps:

1) Be sure you read the prompt and understand what it’s asking, and answer it fully.

2) Be sure your essay is organized, with a beginning, a middle, and an ending, and that it’s all about a main idea that answers the prompt.

3) Be sure you’ve got details that support what you’re saying.

You can improve your essay a lot with organization and supporting details. If you are less familiar with writing in English, try to be clear and use simple sentences (to avoid confusing grammar). If your essay is well organized around a main idea that answers the prompt, you should do well.

That just leaves the GED Writing multiple choice test. The questions cover punctuation, verb use, grammar, organization, and other basic English grammar skills. Depending on what your “textbook” English knowledge is, these questions might be very easy for you, even if your spoken or written English is a bit awkward. But, if you don’t know some of the rules of grammar and punctuation, it might be a bit harder. Brush up on the basic rules of verbs, pronouns, and punctuation. Try to figure out what “sounds” right, even though you don’t have as practiced an ear for English as for your native language. And remember, the better your essay is, the less pressure there is on the multiple choice test.

With a little preparation, you can approach the GED reading and writing tests with confidence and get the score you need to move on to higher education or a better job. Don’t let worry over language skills stop you, because you can succeed.

The Linn-Benton Community college Adult Basic Education/GED program in Albany, Oregon is testing a new class structure to handle teaching students at different skill levels. They use parallel classes taught at the same time. While a teacher works with students at one level, the other class is open to independent study to help students catch up in areas where they are lacking. Students can move from one class to the other to customize their education.

The West Virginia Community and Technical College System is creating the I-PASS initiative, which stands for Integrated Pathways for Adult Student Success. It approaches the GED in a unique way, coupling GED preparation with work force certification or associate’s degree training.

In other areas, tutoring programs help to bring volunteer tutors to GED candidates to give personalized study help. Julie Kohn, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, started a GED tutoring program in 2007, when her friend dropped out of high school. Because the program is textbook-based, personal tutoring is important for success. Volunteer tutors are in demand at many library programs and adult education initiatives.

The development of e-learning can play an important role in new GED initiatives. Effective e-learning can be easier to access than a textbook for independent study and for students paired with volunteer tutors. It also enforces computer literacy in programs designed to teach broader adult education goals in conjunction with the GED.

There are many successful routes for developing GED programs. Engaging learners as individuals and working with each at his or her personal skill level is a key to meaningful education.

Still, budget cuts affecting GED programs don’t stop in New York. The Conejo Valley Adult School in Thousand Oaks, California is facing a 40 percent budget cuts, and that means increases in fees and decreases in classes. Ultimately, it means a less well-prepared workforce. GED preparation classes are endangered at Cochise College in Nogales, Arizona because of a budget bill that cuts state funding for adult education programs. The problem is widespread. There is a drive to save money, right now, at the risk of sacrificing future benefits.

Where is the solution? No one wants a budget deficit, but it’s undeniably important to have a better prepared workforce to fuel economic recovery. Adults without a GED or high school diploma are the first to become unemployed and the most dependent on government aid, causing the biggest drain on the economy. The GED can be a door to independence.

Budget cuts put a bigger responsibility on individuals to get the preparation they need to pass the GED. One part of the solution may mean more adults finding private means of GED preparation, such as online GED study programs like The GED Academy. But online GED preparation programs can also be a boon to financially strapped adult education programs.

Online programs can provide education to a wider audience of students for lower costs. Online GED preparation programs can provide individualized instruction for a wide range of students at minimal costs, and can be accessible from home as well as from classroom computers. Combining online education with traditional classroom instruction can provide the best of both worlds, and lower costs at the same time. This isn’t a complete solution to GED programs that are the victims of deep budget cuts. Still, it is a path worth investigating, because sacrificing the future is not the best plan.

So, what do you do when your worries start to take over? What if your stomach is in a knot, you’re frozen up, and you just can’t focus? Take a deep breath. You can overcome this. Recognize what is happening. This is test anxiety. It is natural, and it doesn’t have to stop you from succeeding.

Here is a good technique: Focus your attention on one detail of the test. Don’t be overwhelmed by the whole test, or how important your score is. Close your mind off to everything but one single question. You can handle one question. Really focus on it. Read it, understand it. Choose an answer. This one question, for right now, is the whole world, the only thing you have to think about.

Making one small, manageable question the center of your world will bring you away from the fear. If you feel yourself worrying again about how long the test is, or how hard one question is, or how much time there is left, just bring yourself back to one, manageable thing. If you’re worried about one question because it’s too hard, skip it, and focus on the next one instead. You can answer one question. You can read and understand one question. Focus on one question whenever you get overwhelmed… And one question at a time, you’ll get through the test.

You can use other techniques, as well. When you start to feel anxiety building, take a quick break… a few deep breaths and a drink of water. Refocus briefly, and then get back to work. Block out thoughts about what you should have studied, or what’s going to happen tomorrow. The important thing while you’re taking a test is the present: right here, right now. Nothing else should get in the way.

And nothing makes you less worried and more confident than being prepared. So, prepare for the test. Find out as much as you can about the GED and what’s on it. Visit the testing center in advance, so you get familiar with it. The less strange and new everything is, the easier it will be to overcome fear. Study well, and feel confident in what you know. And the day of the test, eat right, dress comfortably, and give yourself plenty of time. Fear doesn’t need to get in your way. You can conquer test anxiety, and you can conquer the GED.

To take traditional adult education classes, a GED candidate must find transportation to class, time away from home and work responsibilities, and child care to travel to school. A solution to this problem is online GED education. By taking online GED preparation courses, adults can more easily fit the GED into their lives. A good online study program allows a GED candidate to learn at their own pace, at times that fit into their busy schedule. Though traditional GED classes are at set times, online GED preparation is available to learners twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. When the kids have gone to bed, or in between jobs, most learners can find a half hour to an hour per day of study time.

One of the reasons online learning can be easily fit into a student’s life is that an online study program can be taken at home, so there’s no need for transportation. For one-car families, or families dependent on public transportation, studying at home is an enormous benefit. Travel time by bus or other public transportation is often much greater than by car, and adult education classes can be difficult to access. A good online GED preparation program is available instantly, through the Internet, via inexpensive net-books or other home computers.

The problem of child care is also greatly reduced through online GED preparation. Child care can be expensive and difficult to find. Though it’s important to have quiet time to study, while the children are in bed, studying, or playing, a GED candidate can study online without need to find a caretaker for the children.

Online GED preparation fits into the lives of adult learners who struggle with traditional adult education classes. More online preparation is an essential element of expanding GED outreach to adult learners with adult lives and responsibilities.

The key to passing the GED is preparation. The GED is a seven-hour test that checks important basic skills. Passing the GED shows that you have thinking, reading, writing, and math skills that are the key foundation for jobs and higher education. That’s why the GED is valuable. It shows employers and colleges that you’ve passed a milestone in acquiring the skills you need to advance.

The difference between a state like New York and one like Iowa has to do with the approach to the GED. Passing the GED isn’t just about walking in to a test center and taking a test. It starts with checking your skills, to see what gaps you need to fill in. Then, you need preparation, to get the skills that you’re missing. You need to know what’s expected on the GED and build up your abilities. Then, when you’re ready, you take the GED test. GED success is a process that includes preparation as a key element.

GED preparation is a serious problem for many people. Adults who dropped out of high school have adult responsibilities, including jobs and children. They have financial responsibilities to care for their families, time constraints, and difficulties with transportation. Even a well-run state program can be discouraging for adults who have trouble finding the time, childcare, and resources to attend GED classes.

Technology is a promising way around these problems. Innovative online learning solutions can be inexpensive and accessible for learners with restrictions on their time and resources. Online learning can be done at home or anywhere a computer and internet connection is available. More importantly, the best online learning is directed toward an individual student’s needs. Adult learners are all starting at different levels and filling different gaps in their learning. Managing an adult education class, filled with students with a wide variety of needs, is challenging. Truly personalized, engaging online learning can help adults learn faster and easier, encouraging them to stay on track to get a GED.

The benefits of the GED for both an individual adult and for the community are great, especially when the GED is viewed as a milestone in a journey toward a career or a higher education. Adults without a high school diploma or GED are the most likely to be unemployed. The Community Service Society estimates that adults without a high school diploma cost New York City $135,000 more than they pay in taxes over the course of their lifetime. The GED is an investment in the future, one that can pay off for individuals, businesses, and government.

The Community Service Society report on the New York GED can be found here: http://www.cssny.org/userimages/downloads/From%20Basic%20Skills%20to%20Better%20Futures%20Sept.%202009%20Final%20Report.pdf

The GED is more than just a piece of paper on the way toward something else, though. In studying for the GED, it’s important to think of the GED as a stepping stone to college and to a better life. GED students can learn important skills that will help them in college or in the workplace, and by learning these skills, instead of just focusing on the GED test itself, studiers can earn their GED easier as well as prepare for what’s beyond.

To make the most of your GED experience, while you’re working on your GED, you should work on:

1) good study habits… things like making a study schedule and study space, and figuring out how best to spend your study time.

2) learning to be responsible for your own learning–to own what you know and judge what you’ve learned and what you haven’t.

3) thinking about how you learn best and learning study techniques.

4) developing reading, writing, math, and thinking skills… Learning basic skills is the essence of studying for the GED because these are the skills that the GED tests. Realizing that they’re essential skills for college and the workplace puts them in a new perspective.

The GED Academy focuses on teaching these skills in addition to just knowledge that’s on the GED, because they’re skills you need, but it’s not just about being “taught.” It’s about actively learning.

No matter how much GED preparation you get, college can be a tough transition. That’s why the GED Academy recommends community or junior colleges as a transitional step between the GED and 4-year colleges for most students. Community and junior colleges have a lot of support and extra classes for students who have been out of school for a while, and you can get your feet wet at the college level. Community colleges generally accept local residents who have a GED or high school diploma. Once you have community college grades, they will be what a 4-year transfer college looks at. However, if you wanted to go directly to a four-year college, you might need higher GED scores and have to meet other requirements, like SAT or ACT score requirements. The requirements are different at different colleges.

On the positive end, in a lot of ways, college isn’t like high school. Your teachers know you’re adults. And you and your classmates are there because you want to be. You’re working toward a career and a future that YOU envision for yourself. You’ve got more responsibility, and more control over your own curriculum. These factors can make college a very positive experience, once you make a commitment to succeed.

Nichole and Patricia Kumse of Blount County, Tennessee, are sisters who earned their GED diplomas, becoming the first high school graduates in their family. Both women are mothers. Patricia Kumse is a mother of three, while Nichole Kumse is a mother of two, all between 3 and 10 years old.

The two mothers, like many GED students, were motivated to earn a GED diploma by their families, and particularly their children. Every parent wants their children to have all the opportunities the world can offer, and in today’s world, education is the key to opportunity. Parents want to set an example for their children, and getting the GED is a first step for many parents to show their children how important education is.

At the same time, the GED opens doors to provide a better life for a family. Nichole and Patricia Kumse both passed the GED with high enough scores to qualify for the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship toward higher education. Patricia Kumse plans to study business, while Nichole Kumse plans to study holistic nutrition and writing.

Just as family can inspire adults to earn their GED, family can help greatly during the GED process. By studying for the GED together, Nichole and Patricia Kumse were able to provide each other support, with studying, homework, and motivation. By involving family or friends who can provide help and support, adult learners can achieve more in their educational experience, from the GED to the highest levels of post-secondary achievement.