Leonard’s Newsletters

I get asked a lot of questions about the GED math test. Most people find it hardest!

One thing I want to make sure you’re practicing is doing what Curtis calls “street math.” If you can do some of the math problems in your head, estimating the right answers, you can speed up your test-taking time, so you have more time to think about the harder problems. Even when you can use the calculator, sometimes doing the math in your head can be even faster.

Here are some links I’ve found that can help you out with your street math:

http://www.mentalmathmaster.com/
http://mathforum.org/k12/mathtips/
http://www.academicmeet.com/tricks/
http://www.noveltheory.com/TechPapers/how_to_do_math_in_your_head.asp
http://math.usask.ca/emr/menu_arith.html
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/rubrics/math/gr8/g8problem05.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/division/mental/index.shtml
http://www.netagency.co.uk/keyedin2/mental.html

One of the biggest problems students have is knowing what to study. Maybe you’ve already taken the GED math test or a practice test… if you haven’t, take a GED practice test.

Now what? You’ve done your test, now what do you study? Well, the hard thing about the math test is it covers so much material. Here’s a list of things that are on it… can you pick out three or four that you know are a problem for you?

• How to change word problems into the right math problem?
• Spending a lot of time doing math problems instead of estimating?
• Using the Casio calculator?
• Using fractions, decimals, or percentages?
• Solving interest rate problems?
• Knowing types of measurements (metric measures like centimeter and kilometer or converting things like miles to other measures)?
• Adding or subtracting measurements?
• Mean, median or mode (averaging, or looking at groups of data)?
• Simple, independent, or dependent probability, like the likelihood of picking a card out of a deck?
• Reading and understanding tables, charts, and graphs?
• Finding “x” in an equation, simplifying an equation with x’s, or factoring an equation (algebra)?
• Exponents and roots (i.e. x squared) or scientific notation?
• Graphing equations, lines, or points on a graph?
• Finding perimeter, area, or volume in geometric figures?
• Lines and angles? (Parallel lines with lines crossing them, types of angles, relationships of angles, angles in the corners of figures, right triangles)?
• Types of geometric shapes or comparing geometric shapes?

Instead of just trying to study “math,” pick out a few areas that you need to study, and concentrate on those. Try beginning with what you’re familiar with, and working up to the things that are really hard.

Also, if you need help with the math test, be sure to check out Curtis’s math blog, Curtis’s Speed GED. There are new practice problems and tips every week.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 at 12:06 pm and is filed under Newsletters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.