GED Math: Keep Going

Selena wrote on the GED Forums:

i am so frustarted i cant seem to pass the ged math ive passed everything else. i feel like im never gonna pass it. i have 500 on every subject and 360 on math.

Hey, all. I know lots of people got this same problem, so I wanted to put up the reply…

Selena,

The GED math test is passable! With a 500 on every other subject, you should only need to get a 410. You’re close. I know, I know, that’s what makes it frustrating.

Take a deep breath. Whatever method you’re using to study and prepare, you need to take a close look at it, because you’ve reached a roadblock. If you’re not improving, you need to try something different. Don’t let it stop you; take action to fix it. Look into another study method or program that’s going to work for you. Because everyone can learn the math that’s needed on the GED. You’re obviously smart, or you wouldn’t have high scores on the other tests, but your aptitude isn’t in math, it’s likely in language. That’s okay. Lots of “language people” learn the math you need.

Here are my suggestions:
–Focus on your basic math skills, because they’re the fundamentals that will help you succeed on the harder math questions.
–Spend time studying how to answer math word problems… how to translate a word problem into a math problem. Have a strategy for answering a word problem.
–Practice estimating and doing math in your head. This will improve your basic math skills and also help you quickly answer the simple questions on the math test, so you have more time for the harder ones. Try practicing estimating your grocery bill while you’re shopping, or estimating what your dinner check will be when you order.
–Review the subjects that you’ve already studied, and make sure you’ve fully learned them before moving on. It’s easier (and better) to completely understand the lower-level math than to have a poor grasp of a lot of math topics.
–Get really familiar with the Casio calculator they give you on the test.
–Master right triangles (and look for “hidden” ones on the test in word problems!); a line intercepting parallel lines; mean and median; area, perimeter, and volume; graphing points and lines; doing math with fractions, percents, and decimals; and different measurements (like metric). All of these will be on the test, and they’re all ones you can master.

You can learn all the math you need. And you can pass. If what you’re doing isn’t working, try a different program, a different book–something that works for you. It’s worth it!

Michael
The GED Academy

Til later!