GED Stories

Name: Sotheavy

City and State: Los Angeles, California

What motivated you to get your GED? My cousin and my family motivated me to get the GED. I am an Asian who is now living in the USA, and I want to continue my studies in college. However, I don’t have enough money for tuition. The only way I can afford it is if I pass the GED. Then I’ll be able to apply for financial aid.

How have your friends and family helped you? They have encouraged me. Even though it is hard, they tell me that if I keep on trying, I’ll eventually succeed.

What problems have you faced? I’ve had a lot of problems with the GED practice test. I checked out a GED book from the library and took the practice test. I got a lot of wrong answers, so I am not confident about passing the real test. I don’t know if the GED is too hard for Asian students to pass. I am very afraid that I can’t do it, and that I won’t be able to continue with college. If I go to school to study for the GED, will I be able to pass it then? Should I try to get my high school diploma instead? I don’t know which is easier to get.

What do you hope to gain from getting your GED? I really want to get the GED because I want to continue my studies in college. If I get the GED, I’ll be able to get a good job and have a better life in the future.

Do you have more to your story? I first came to the United States just for five months. I’ve since then been allowed to live her permanently. I am still young, so I want to continue my studies, but I need financial aid to help me with college. So, I have two ways to get it. The first is to pass the GED, but I don’t know whether or not I can. I plan to study for 1 year before taking the test. The second choice is to enroll in high school for about 2 years. However, I don’t want to spend much time in high school. That’s why I’d rather get my GED. However, I don’t know whether an Asian student can pass it or not. I’m not very good at English. I really need help! Thank you for your time!

Sotheavy,

Congratulations on getting permanent residence in America! There are a lot of opportunities here! However, it is important that you really work on learning English well first. No matter how much you know, any test or education will be difficult if you have a hard time understanding English. There are a few documents you might be able to get in your own language, but in the long run, it’s a lot easier to go through the steps to learn English really well. Luckily, now that you’re in America, learning English isn’t too hard. Many people perfect their English by watching TV and movies. You can also read books, newspapers, or online articles. However, be careful with things that are online as a lot of unprofessional sites spell things wrong or use “internet slang” like “U” or “CYA” instead of “you” and “see you,” If you use internet slang during a test, you’ll get a poor grade. Finally, you should let your friends and family know that you want to speak English whenever possible. There are many people who live in America, but still never learn English well because they still speak their native language with their friends and family all the time.

The GED doesn’t require that you have a formal American education. For instance, it won’t ask you to list off the presidents of the Unite States or know when certain American wars were fought. High school will require you to know those things, however. You definitely need to study for the GED, especially if you had difficulty with the practice test you took from the library. You can either enroll in a GED prep program at a college, or we also have one at passged.com. If you have trouble understanding the questions though, simply because you need to learn English better, put the GED on hold and work more on your English skills.

Good Luck!

The GED Academy