The GED (General Education Development) has been widely accepted as one of the high school equivalency diplomas that might bring about more job opportunities for test takers or assist them in enrolling in colleges afterwards. Additionally, this test might deeply suit those who can not finish high school and want to earn an equivalent high school diploma. However, a plethora of test takers have been wondering: “Is the GED test hard?” and “ How to handle it?”. Thus, pay more attention and read thoroughly this article in order to take insight into the GED test and equip yourself with some tips to conquer the test. 

 

1. What’s On The Test?

 

Let’s begin with grasping the format of the GED test if you are planning to take this test. The GED test consists of 4 sections – covering familiar high-school subjects such as Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies –  that are scored separately on a 100-200 scale. It should be noted that test takers need to get a scaled score of 150 on each section so as to earn a GED. Besides, the test usually takes up to 7-8 hours to accomplish and the time limitation for each section is also listed particularly in the chart following.

 

Section

Overview

Testing time

Passing Score

Reasoning Through Language Arts

Reading and writing skills

150 minutes

150

Math

Quantitative math and algebra

115 minutes

150

Science

Life, earth and space, and physical sciences

90 minutes

150

Social Studies

Geography, civics, economics, and U.S. history

90 minutes

150

 

2. Is the GED Test Hard To Pass? 

 

How hard the GED test will be depends on a lot of factors such as level, skill, knowledge or preparation as well. However, in this post, we will discuss 2 challenges that explain why this test is harder than others. 

 

is the ged test hard

 

2.1. Be under time pressure 

 

Is the GED test a bit hard due to its time pressure? That’s right. As you know, test-takers are under time limitations for each section in the range from 90 to 150 minutes so they are required to have time management skills, otherwise, they cannot finish all of the questions punctually. However, don’t feel nervous. It’s not as difficult as you think, you are required to get half of the questions to pass the test which means that you only need to answer 40-50% of the questions correctly to reach a passing score. 

 

2.2. Requiring a number of skills, not just knowledge

 

How hard is the GED test? To answer this question, let’s make a comparison between the GED test and high school one. In fact, some students believe that the GED test seems more difficult than any school exams. That’s right. The GED test is not just about memorizing facts or knowing dates, numbers or names, it’s about measuring high school skills including problem-solving, reading comprehension and critical thinking as well. 

 

More specifically, Math could be the hardest section for the majority of test-takers, therefore, some mathematical skills with regard to geometry, algebra, data and statistics need to be well-equipped in order to overcome this section. Secondly, the Science, Social studies, and reading sections check your ability to read and comprehend texts, pictures and charts. Thirdly, the writing part of the test comprises grammatical as well as  spelling questions and writing a convincing essay.

 

Nevertheless, test-takers can make the GED exam easier and increase their chances of passing by preparing in advance. On average, students spend less than three months preparing for the test and might get an expected score.

 

 

3. How to Well Prepare for the GED Test? 

 

The test is extremely hard for those who don’t study anything for the test, so the only way to pass this test must be well-prepared. Thus, let’s spend time reasonably and make your best effort to learn and practice every day to get familiar with the test and enhance your relevant skills. What’s more, if you don’t know what you should begin with, don’t skip some helpful suggestions below:

 

is it hard to pass the ged test

 

3.1. Identify What To Study 

 

Based on the GED’s testing points, you had better make a list of relevant academic knowledge and skills that you need to review as well in order to identify your levels and current score and subsequently build your study route suitable for yourself. 

 

3.2. Take Practice Tests 

 

It is known that “Practice makes perfect – The more you practice, the better your skills are”  – John Adam. It is absolutely true for any case. You should spend practice on a daily basis so as to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. What more’s, you can spend more time working on testing points which you have done well yet so as to perfect your ability. 

 

In addition, taking practice tests help you get familiar with the test format and time pressure. There are varied FREE GED PRACTICE TEST available today which can be easily found after a few clicks of your mouse. Let’s start to study right now!

 

 

3.3. Keep track of time

 

To finish your exam well, you need to keep a correct pace going. Let’s determine how much time will be spent for each part or even for each question. 

For instance, if you have 60 minutes for 30 questions, then you have around 3 minutes per question.  After every few questions, don’t forget to check the time to make sure that you are still on schedule. 

You can spend more time on hard questions and if they make you frustrated, skip them and move on. Conversely, don’t rush questions that you assume you know – read them at least twice before choosing the best answer. 

 

3.4. Be positive and confident

 

One of the most important factors that contribute to your success is your attitude. Thus, when preparing and taking your GED, you need to be positive, relaxed, confident instead of being worried or nervous. Let’s believe in your ability and you can pass the test easily with a high score. If you face a hard question, just skip it in a few minutes and return to it later. TAKE IT EASY!

 

3.5. Know the tricks:

 

If you want to improve your GED score, don’t skip some crucial tricks following:

  • ANSWERS WITH CERTAINTY such as Always, Never, Greatest, Must are generally not the correct answers
  • BEWARE THE “EXCEPT” – Questions with “Except” (or “which of the following is NOT true”) are often read too fast and missed.  A good way to answer these questions is to cover the confusing word “Except” or “Not” and then choose the answer that does not belong.
  • VALID INFORMATION – Don’t ignore any information in the question because you will need it to correctly answer the question.

In short, “Is the GED test hard?”. The answer depends on your preparation and your attempt. To get ready and conquer the test, you need to practice every day. Furthermore, you can visit our website or access our mobile application to take various online practice tests for free. Let’s do your best right now! Finally, we sincerely hope that this article will provide you some useful information and help you take an insight into the GED test.