The mathematics portion of the GED test is comprised of two sections. Each section is equally divided into 25 questions for a total of 50 questions. A test-taking individual has 45 minutes to complete the mathematics section of the GED. Part I of the test may be taken with a calculator. Part II utilizes estimation, mental math and critical skills and cannot be taken with a calculator. According to the American Council on Education, the mathematics portion "assesses an understanding of mathematical concepts and the application of those concepts to various situations."
Also included in the GED test is the social studies section, which tests a student's skill in understanding key concepts in several components of social studies. The social studies section includes 40 percent of history-related questions, 15 percent of geography problems, 25 percent of civics and government and 20 percent of questions concerning economics. All of the questions within the social studies section are multiple choice and requires prior knowledge of essential social studies-related principles and concepts.
The science section of the GED test questions applicants over physics, chemistry and Earth science-related topics. The test provides a fair measurement over an individual's knowledge and interpretation of each physical science, life science and Earth and space science. The questions support the content standards provided by the National Science Education Standards for grades 9 through 12. The science section's questions are based on text passages with visual aids such as graphs, tables, charts and diagrams.
The language arts and reading section of the GED test measures a test taker's ability to comprehend and interpret academic reading. The section is passage-based and includes multiple choice questions. 75 percent of the content comes from literary text, while the rest comes from nonfiction text. Each passage is followed by four to eight multiple choice questions that test reading comprehension. According to the American Council on Education, the questions are based on four different components: comprehension, application, analysis and synthesis.
The language arts and writing section of the GED test is split into two different parts. The first part requires test takers to demonstrate the ability to edit and revise sentences by answering multiple choice questions. The second part of the writing section requires candidates to write an essay. The expository essay must explain, clarify or inform the audience of their opinion or explanation of a situation. Students have 45 minutes to write the essay.