Assess current skills. A good way to do this is to have the student purchase a GED study book and take the first practice exam. See the Resource section below for links to study guides that can be purchased online or at your local bookstore. Score the test to see what the weakest areas are and how close the student is to a passing grade in each of the subject areas.
Look at your qualifications. You don't need a teacher certification to be a competent tutor for the GED exam, but you should have a good grasp of basic algebra and be able to make it clear to someone else. You should be a patient person, be able to explain effective study skills and have a good command of written English.
Teach reading comprehension. Rather than trying to teach a broad range of subject matter, focus on helping the student to improve overall comprehension of what he reads. Have the student scan for key ideas, words and phrases before reading, and help him to get an overview of how the material is organized and presented. This will make the time spent reading the material more productive.
Improve vocabulary. Learning some common Latin and Greek prefixes, suffixes and root words is a way to increase the student's vocabulary more quickly than focusing on individual words in English. Help your student recognize these roots in the material that she is reading.
Review algebra skills and concepts. Look for weak areas and provide lots of practice problems. Use study books and online materials for practice in concepts and operations that are challenging for the student. Have the student practice writing equations from story problems. Call the local testing center for current regulations regarding use of a calculator during the exam, and have the student familiarize himself with the type of calculator that is allowed.
Practice writing. This may be the most difficult portion of the exam for many students. A basic knowledge of punctuation, grammar and spelling is required. Spend as much time as necessary to help the student reach a basic level of proficiency in these areas. You will need to help the student see what errors she is making in her own writing and give instruction on how to correct the errors. Assign practice essays on a variety of topics. The GED study guides will provide sample essay questions and guidelines on how these will be scored.
Teach test taking skills. Most of the GED exam is multiple choice. Knowing how the answer sheet is laid out and how to fill it in is helpful. Wrong answers aren't penalized on the GED, so it doesn't hurt to guess, but using the process of elimination to narrow a question down to the best two choices can be helpful.
Be supportive and encouraging. The process of preparing for the GED exam can be intimidating for many people. Your student needs to know that he can do it, and needs to be reminded of all the benefits that will result from his hard work.