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!

Here’s the comments people sent:

From grumpy_52058: I’m 19yrs. old and I’ve taken part of the ged test already and the hardest part of the test for me is the math part… I was wondering if there is a lot of fraction, percents questions. Those are the problems are the ones that I have a hard time learning. Can someone please help me out so I can finish this just. Thank you

Unfortunately, there are a lot of fraction and percent questions. That’s just cuz the fractions and percents are part of the basic math that’s in a lot of the other math. You’ll come across them in algebra, geometry, and just plain addition and subtraction. So they’re all over the place. Take a look at my articles on percentages and fractions for some help getting up on these. I’d spend some extra time studying fractions, percents, and decimals until you get real comfortable with them.

From denise71: ive passed everything on my ged but math i really need help is there some kind of work book or practice worksheet i could get to help me pass on june 1

Listen, I know that math ain’t easy for most people to learn. There’s some good math books out there… GED Mathematics by Steck Vaughn is one of ‘em. But it can be hard to learn from a book, especially if you’re not too good at school math. And there’s also websites out there…I’ve got links in my articles. You can find GED resources on the net, but you have to work harder to get all the materials you need, and figure out what you need to know and where to go to learn it.

If you’ve really got to pass, seriously take a look at the passGED Study Program. It’s got four GED math courses in it, covering everything on the GED, along with practice tests and lots of practice questions. You can buy the courses separately, but it’s cheaper to buy the whole program, even if you just need to pass the math. Unless there’s just one area you really need to know….but most people really need the first course, because it’s got all the basics.

But, if you don’t want to get the study program, here’s some online resources that can help.

Algebra at Coolmath.com

Grand Slam Math

Algebra Word Problem Solvers

Translating Word Problems: Keywords

Study Guides and Strategies: Solving Math Word Problems

How to Do Math in Your Head

DoItInYourHead.com

Good luck, everyone! Rock that GED math test.

Hi, everyone! I know that a lot of people have trouble with the math test. And I’ve heard more than one person say that they’ve taken it more than once…gotten close to passing, but just can’t get all the way. I know it’s frustrating! But it’s possible to pass. Here are my suggestions…

• Focus on taking practice tests and sample GED questions…especially ones that include the solutions, so that you can really get how to answer the questions. Try to find a study solution that will guide you through how to choose the correct answer, not just how to do different kinds of math. It’s a different experience taking the math test than just trying to do the math problems.

• Pick one or two areas that you KNOW are on the test and that you KNOW give you problems… and really learn them through and through. For example…there are always questions about right triangles…or just angles in general. What about graphing equations? You know that’s on the test.Study the basics. Learn to do simple math in your head, and how to handle positive and negative numbers, fractions, and decimals while you’re working. The better you know basic math, the better you’ll do on ALL kinds of math.

• Practice with word problems. Most of the GED math test is word problems, so having a good strategy to tackle them really helps!

Here are some links to more advice and help on the GED math test:
http://www.passged.com/leonards_mail/2008/02/11/ged-math/
http://www.passged.com/leonards_mail/2007/12/18/ged-math-tips/
http://www.passged.com/leonards_mail/2007/10/22/interpreting-charts-and-graphs-on-the-ged/
http://www.passged.com/leonards_mail/2007/09/27/practice-test-guide-math/
http://www.passged.com/leonards_mail/2007/04/13/how-to-pass-the-math-test/

I get that word problems and practice questions really help for GED math. So, next time I’ll kick in with a practice GED word problem, and the right answer…so you can see how to get there. Write a comment if you got an area that you want to see a practice question for…algebra? geometry? right angles? decimals? Let me know what you need to learn…

greg said: “i have failed the math test 2 times and in need to pass it . i just dont understand most of the math problems . i need some help”

If you don’t understand most of the math problems on the GED test, you got to start with a good GED math study program. You gotta make sure you’re choosin’ something that’s for the GED and that can explain the math to you, in a way you understand. Maybe there’s adult ed classes near you. Check with community colleges, and the local high school counselor can maybe help you find out if there’s any GED adult ed classes. Maybe you’ve got a friend or someone in your family that can help you study. Maybe you can afford a tutor, but most people can’t. You can find them through schools, too.

You can get a GED study book, but a lot of the time people find them hard to really understand. You can get books at the GED Academy online bookstore, and it tells you a little about different GED books and how good they are. The other thing is an online study program, like The GED Academy study program. Hey, you can learn some stuff from my blog and from other places on line, but it sure ain’t as easy that way as from a study program that explains everything to you.

Go online, look around, check out all the GED study stuff that’s out there, and pick something that’s really gonna help you learn, something that’s gonna walk you through the basics and help you understand.

Now, I’m happy to help you out. If you say, hey, I got a problem understandin’ right triangles, I jus’ can’t figure out how to find the long side, or anything like that, I can help you out. Jus’ send me a comment, and I’ll explain how to do it. But to really get serious about it, you got to find a book, a study program, or a class so you can study a little bit every day. Like, an hour a day… and pretty soon you’ll be doin’ all kindsa math.

pegalina said: “i have taken the math GED test 4 times and all 4 times i have only been able to get 400 ALL 4 TIMES. it is so frustrating and i just cant seem to pass it. ANY ADVICE????”

Hey, Pegalina. Wow. A 400 score 4 times in a row… totally frustrating! Girl, I feel your pain. Okay. Here’s what you gotta do. You gotta figure out a couple of things you KNOW is on the test that you KNOW you’re getting wrong. Geometry? There’s always questions about right triangles. Or parallel lines with another line through them. Algebra? I see quadratic equations on there, and I KNOW everyone gets those things wrong. Or those graphs with points on them. Or maybe > greater than and < less than. You’ve got some experience takin’ the test, and you prolly have a practice test you’ve taken. What’s something you see more than once that you know you have trouble with?

The hard part is figuring out two or three things that are like that, things that give you trouble. Then, go learn them backward and forward. Cuz you’re focused on a couple of things, it’s not too hard. You obviously got a lot of the basic stuff. You can focus on just two or three things to learn. An’ if you learn ‘em, you can bump that score up… them nasty, nasty last 10 points.

The only other thing I can tell you is be careful on the GED test with little things like negative numbers and decimal points that cause a lot of problems if you skip ‘em. An’ I know you’re already doing this, but be sure to answer all the questions, even if you have to guess. Just eliminate all the answers you KNOW are wrong before guessin’.

Good luck, girl, an’ come back and comment when you get that GED!

To learn more about the GED test and GED study programs, visit The GED Academy at passged.com.