Pretests
How to Use the Pretests
The pretests in this section are designed to help you determine what parts of this book you will want to focus on in order to get your best test score. There are four pretests, one in each GED® test subject area: Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies. Each one is designed to match the real exam as closely as possible in format and degree of difficulty. When you take these pretests, your results will give you a good idea of how well you would score if you took the GED® test today.
Use the pretests to plan your study by following these five steps:
1. Take the pretests one at a time. Do not try to work through all four pretests in one session.
2. Take each pretest under test conditions. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Take the pretest as if it were the actual GED® test. Work though the pretest from beginning to end in one sitting. Mark your answers directly on the test pages. Observe the time limit given at the start of the test. If you have not finished the pretest when time runs out, mark the last question you answered, and then note how much longer it takes you to complete the test. This information will tell you if you need to speed up your pace, and, if so, by how much.
3. Answer every question. On the real GED® test, there is no penalty for wrong answers, so it makes sense to answer every question, even if you have to guess. If you don’t know an answer, see if you can eliminate one or more of the answer choices. The more choices you can eliminate, the better your chance of guessing correctly!
4. Check your answers in the Answers and Explanations section at the end of each pretest. Pay particular attention to the explanations for questions you missed.
5. Fill out the Evaluation Charts. These charts are located at the end of each Answers and Explanations section. Mark the numbers of the questions you missed, and the chart will show you the sections of this book where you need to spend the most study time.
The number of questions and time limit for each pretest are shown in the following chart.
