GED Test-Taking Tips (Must-Know Advice for Preparing for the GED Test)

by · September 2, 2024

Are you a good test taker? If not, taking some time to learn a few test-taking tricks will be beneficial. Even the most prepared student can fail a GED test if he/she lets test anxiety get in the way. Here are a few ways to calm your nerves and perform your best.

Before the test:

  1. Get a good night’s sleep. The GED test is not one you can cram for, so there is no need to stay up late preparing. Have confidence that you have worked hard and that your diligence will pay off.
  2. Eat breakfast. You may have a nervous stomach the day of the test, but try to eat something so that you can fuel your body for its best performance.
  3. Pre-test communications. We all have people in our lives who increase our anxiety, even if they have great intentions. Avoid these people as much as you can. Before the test, you need to be around people who calm you and remind you that you are capable of passing.
  4. Music. Create a motivational playlist and listen to it before going in to test. For some people, this might be meditational music, for others it might be rap or hard rock. Find what pumps you up (or calms you down) and play it before the test.
  5. Test time. Many test centers have various times throughout the day that you can pick to test. Think about when you are at your cognitive best, and try to schedule a test during that time.
  6. Arrive early. Nothing can start your testing off wrong like showing up late. You don’t want to feel hurried or that you have inconvenienced someone because of your tardiness, so plan to be at the testing center about 15 minutes early.

During the test:

  1. The clock. The GED test will be timed, but make the clock work for you. Don’t nervously glance at the timer every 30 seconds; instead, let the timer help guide you in knowing when you may be spending too much time on a question or as a warning that the test time is almost up.
  2. Skip around. On the GED test, you will be allowed to flag questions for review at the end. Therefore, there is no point in spending excessive time on any one question. Answer the ones you know you can get correct, then flag the others. Then, make sure you leave some time at the end of the test to go back to those difficult questions.
  3. Answer every question. There is no penalty for guessing, so make sure that you answer every question.
  4. Process of elimination. Most of the test will be multiple choice, so narrow down your answers to improve your odds. If you can eliminate two choices, for example, but then have to guess at the last two, you have at least given yourself a 50/50 chance to get the answer correct.
  5. Draw pictures. There may be questions on the math portion that you might better understand if you drew a picture, so take time to do just that. Your pictures don’t need to be great; they are simply a tool for making sure you understand what the question is asking.
  6. Reread the question. Once you think you have the correct answer, go back and read the question again to make sure that you chose the best choice.
  7. Summarize as you go. The long passages can seem daunting when the clock is ticking, so to make sure you are understanding what you read, at the end of each paragraph, ask yourself what you just read. If you can remember what that paragraph was basically about, move onto to the next paragraph. If you can’t, reread what you just read.
  8. Read the question before you read the passage. For some test takers, this tip helps them to be a more active reader because they know exactly what they are looking for. This trick doesn’t work for everyone, so practice this strategy on practice tests first.

Most of all, have confidence. You have worked hard, so don’t doubt yourself. Remember that you can fail the test THREE times without any consequences, and after that, the only penalty is that you will have a waiting period before you can test again.

Use the contact form on this site to get in touch with me if you have any questions or simply need to expand your support team. You got this!

Remember that my TPT store has lots of preparation materials to help you along your GED journey, and many of them are free. Just click the icon below. Good luck!

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