Chapter 34
IN THIS CHAPTER
Avoiding common mistakes on test day
Staying calm and focused so you can succeed
Besides all those hours of studying, to succeed on the GED test, you also need to know what to do on the day of the test and how to stay focused through each test section. In this chapter, we give you ten quick and easy ways to help you survive the GED test.
Consider the following situation. You’re about to sit in front of a computer screen for at least 90 minutes (both the Mathematical Reasoning and Reasoning through Language Arts tests are longer). You’ll be sitting on what will probably an uncomfortable chair. The room may be too warm or too cold.
Choosing from the following answers, what’s the appropriate dress for the GED test?
(A) formal dress because this is an important occasion
(B) a parka over a bathing suit because one can never predict the weather
(C) something very comfortable so you can concentrate on the test
(D) your best clothes because you need to impress others
If you picked Choice (C), you have the right idea. Dress comfortably and in layers. All your concentration should be on the test, not your clothes, not on the people around you, and not on the conditions in the room.
Consider the following two characters, Paula Prepared and Peter Procrastinator. Both have prepared to take the GED test, but they have their own personality and individual quirks. On the day of the test:
Who would you rather be?
Here’s something else to consider: If you’re late to the test site, you probably won’t be allowed to enter, you’ll likely have to reschedule the test for another time, and you’ll probably have to pay again for the test. Who needs all this grief? All you have to do to prevent this tragedy is to arrive early for the test, which, contrary to popular belief, isn’t as difficult as it may seem. You can plan ahead by checking out some route maps to the test site on the Internet. Or look into the schedules for your local public transportation services. If you decide to drive yourself, check the availability of parking and even practice your route to the test site (see Chapter 33). Do your research, leave extra time for unforeseen situations, and arrive early and ready for the test.
A couple of weeks before the test, confirm the time your test is supposed to begin and the testing center location in case it changed in the interim. You may receive a letter of confirmation before your testing date. If not, follow up with the testing center with a phone call.
A little bit of stress is normal when you walk into a test. So the last thing you want to do is increase your stress level by getting into a conversation with another test-taker and losing your focus.
Although it may seem antisocial, keep conversations to a minimum just before the test. If you want to exchange pleasantries about the weather, go ahead. If you want to arrange to go for coffee after the test, plan away. If you want to get into a serious conversation about how everything you’ve done to this point will only guarantee failure, run away as fast as you can and don’t talk to anyone! If you’ve prepared, you’re ready. Listen to the voice in your head that says you’re ready, and don’t let anyone at the testing center stress you out. If someone tries to corner you with conversation about how hard the test is or how they had to take out a mortgage to pay for repeated failures, pretend you only speak a rare dialect of Klingon, go to the restroom, or start coughing. Nobody wants to start up a conversation with a Klingon-speaking, contagious person with a weak bladder. Or you may want to try some more plausible excuses, but whatever you do, escape!
You’re going to be sitting in front of a computer screen for at least 90 minutes. Before starting the test, be sure to adjust the screen, the keyboard, and the chair to a comfortable position. The last person to use that computer may have been 6 feet 10 inches with arms like a gorilla. What was comfortable for him likely won’t do for you. You want to get rid of any and all distractions, so taking a minute to adjust the computer station to suit you is well worth the effort. Also, after you start the test, you won’t have the time to fuss around.
Feeling a bit of stress before taking the GED test is normal. Psychologists even say that a little bit of stress can help you function better. But it’s a balancing act; you don’t want to become so stressed that you can’t think.
Here are some techniques that may help you relax before you take the GED test, or anytime you’re feeling a bit stressed:
Breathe deeply. The first thing to remember during a stressful situation is to breathe. The second thing is to breathe deeply. Follow these steps:
Find your diaphragm.
No, not a diagram — although you could use a diagram to find your diaphragm. Your diaphragm is that flat muscle under your ribcage that fills your lungs with air. It’s above your navel.
After you see how this process relaxes you, try it before each test section.
Count backward from ten (in your head). You can do this before any test, not just the math one. Start to count backward from ten with no thoughts in your mind. If a thought, even a teeny one, enters your mind, you have to start over. See how many times it takes to count from ten to one without a single thought entering your mind.
Don’t do this during the test, only before to help relax you. This exercise could eat up precious time if you tried it during one of the tests.
Clench and unclench your fists. This simple relaxation technique involves your hands and reminds you to relax:
You may have to repeat this process several times, but within a couple of repetitions, you’ll begin to feel relaxed.
Stare out a window. Stare out a window, far into the distance. Try to see a point beyond the horizon. As you do, feel your eyes relax. Let your eyes relax until the feeling spreads to every part of your body. Enjoy the feeling long enough to let go of all the stress that has built up. When you’re calm and full of energy, return to the test.
If your testing room doesn’t have a window, stare at a blank wall and envision your favorite relaxing scene. Don’t close your eyes, though. If you’re the least bit tired or stressed, you may fall asleep and not wake up until the test is over.
An archer who wants to hit the bull’s-eye keeps all his mental faculties focused on the goal at hand. Nobody ever hit the center of the target daydreaming about the next social gathering. For this reason, put your mind on a leash; don’t let it wander during the test. Letting your mind wander back to the greatest vacation you ever had can be very relaxing, but letting it wander during a test can be a disaster. You want your mind sharp, keen, and focused before and during the test, so concentrate on the task at hand — doing your best and passing the GED test.
Be sure to get plenty of sleep in the nights and weeks before the test. If you’re well rested, you’ll have an easier time focusing on each item and answering it correctly. Also, if you’re planning to take the test in the morning, in the week before the test, set your alarm to awaken you at the same time you’ll need on exam day.
If there were a Biggest Mistake Award for test takers, it’d go to someone who looks at his neighbor’s computer screen during the test. This action is called cheating and is a very serious matter. Not only will you be asked to leave the testing center, but you may have to wait for several months to a year before you’re allowed to schedule another test. So keep your eyes on your own test. More than likely, your neighbor will have a different test anyway.
Don’t even give the slightest hint that you may be looking at someone else’s work. The test proctor probably won’t care about what you were actually doing; what he’ll see is you looking in the general direction of another person’s computer, which is considered cheating.
As you begin the test, start with the easy questions — the ones you know you can do. As soon as the test questions come up on the computer screen, scroll through them quickly, identify the easy ones, and do those items first. Then you’ll be ready to tackle the other questions in a relaxed, confident mood. Remember that the test is timed, so doing the easy questions first saves you time to use on the more difficult questions.
You’ll have an essay and two short-answer questions throughout the different sections of the GED test. Take time to prepare your ideas on the erasable tablet provided. Your responses will be evaluated on clarity as well as accuracy, so organization matters. Also, be sure to save some time to review your spelling and grammar. And, finally, make sure you stay on topic; anything else will count against you.
Not everyone passes the GED test the first time. If you’ve taken the test before and didn’t pass, don’t automatically think you’re a failure — instead, see the situation as a learning experience. Use your last test as motivation to discover your academic weaknesses. Sometimes you can gain more from not succeeding than from succeeding. Whether you’re taking the test for the first time or the third, focus on doing your best. If you do need to retake it, you can find more information at www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/retake, or check with your local administrator.