Acing the GED Math Test

The math component of the GED is the part of the test that the majority of people see as the hardest. Developing a good understanding of the math principles that the test is evaluating you on is, naturally, the best way to achieve a top score on the math section of the GED. However, there are a few things you should be conscious of that, if your familiarity with the mathematical concepts is still not complete, might help you pass the math section of the GED. Even if you are already very confident using all of the math skills you will need on the test, being mindful of the tips below just might aid you get an even higher score on the math component of the GED, which would bring up your general score and be helpful to you if there is another component of the test that you have trouble with.

Become Used to the Calculator

For one half of the test you will have the ability to work with a calculator. It's critical to know how to use the different useful capabilities of the calculator in order to get the full use from it. If you do not know how to work with fractions using the calculator, for instance, you are depriving yourself of an advantage that the test administrators are providing you with.

The calculator is a scientific calculator, more precisely a Casio fx-260, and has much more functions than a standard calculator. You do not need to understand how to use all of these characteristics, but you ought to understand how you can utilize the calculator for fractions, exponents, square roots and trigonometric functions, along with, obviously, the fundamental functions of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

The easiest way to get acquainted with the calculator is through making use of it whenever you are preparing for the GED. Anytime you review a subject as you are studying, like reducing fractions, make sure you can conduct functions on your calculator as well as manually. Also, whenever you take a practice GED math test, make use of the calculator on the portion of the test that allows for calculator use.

Know When to Employ Formulas

All through the test you will have access to a sheet of paper that provides all of the formulas that will be helpful to you in solving GED math problems. Be careful not to use this as a crutch, however. The page doesn't tell you which kinds of questions to use every formula on, which is critical. To know this you need to know the mathematical principles and by the time you know them all, you will most likely have the formulas memorized anyways.

Make Good Use of Your Time

You will have 45 minutes to complete each part of the GED math test, which is 90 minutes in total. To be sure that you have good enough time to answer each problem to the best of your ability, it is important to make good use of your time. When you start to work on each new question, quickly glance over what it is asking you to do. If it is an area that seems especially tough and you have no idea how to approach it, skip it, making sure to jot down which problems you skipped. This will ensure that there is enough time to respond to all the questions that are easy or slightly difficult for you.

If you have adequate time after responding to the less tough questions, come back to those you passed over and do your best to answer them. At least you can just guess. If it is a multiple choice and not a bubble-in question, one approach is to look at all of the options and try each one to see if you can work backwards from the answer to the question with success.

For more suggestions and explanations of the concepts you need to understand to pass the GED math test visit http://www.math4ged.com. Math4GED has in depth explanations for every principle that you could be tested on the GED math test.