GED Study Guide

Confirm the credential route for your location

High-school-equivalency testing arrangements differ by state. Use the provider’s state rules and your state’s education authority to confirm which assessment is offered and which eligibility conditions apply to you. A nationwide skills bank is useful for study, but it does not establish local eligibility or guarantee a credential.

Language arts: connect claims and evidence

Read for the main point, supporting details, and the writer’s purpose. When comparing arguments, judge the relevance and strength of evidence rather than whether you already agree with the conclusion. A strong written response states a judgment, cites specific evidence, and explains the connection. The multiple-choice items here help identify those components, but they do not replace writing and revising a complete extended response.

Mathematics: organize everyday quantities

Work through rates, percentages, fractions, equations, and geometric measurements by naming the quantity sought. Keep units beside your work. A percentage increase uses the original amount as its base. A price after a discount requires subtracting the discount from the starting price. Perimeter measures a boundary, area measures a surface, and volume measures space inside a solid. Estimate first when possible so you can recognize an implausible result.

Science: explain a result with a testable relationship

Separate the variable changed from the response measured. In a fair comparison, keep relevant background conditions consistent. A comparison group supplies a baseline; repeated trials reveal variation. Use conservation of mass, density, motion relationships, and simple inheritance models as tools for interpreting the provided situation. Treat a model’s assumptions as part of the problem, and do not extend a conclusion beyond the evidence supplied.

Social studies: read sources and numerical evidence

Consider who created a source, when it was created, and what purpose it served. A firsthand account can be valuable while still reflecting a limited viewpoint. Compare accounts for agreement and disagreement. For maps and graphs, read the legend, scale, labels, and time period. When discussing causes of historical or economic change, allow for multiple contributing factors instead of assuming that an event happening first proves it caused everything that followed.

Make practice actionable

Begin with an untimed variant, review every uncertain answer, and group your mistakes by skill. Rework examples using the explanation as a guide, then attempt a different form. Questions intentionally recur within this shared bank; memorizing an answer letter is less useful than being able to explain the reasoning. Use official subject-specific preparation and current policies to complete your preparation beyond this foundation collection.

Official exam information

• GED: Test Subjects
• GED: State Rules and Policies

Provider information checked October 9, 2026. Confirm current registration, accommodation, and administration policies with the provider.