Check your eligibility. Takers of the test must not have a high school diploma or be enrolled in an undergraduate program.
Consider classroom GED preparation programs. Many are low-cost or free, and some places offer both group and individual instruction. Adult education resource centers can help you evaluate if you need instruction in all areas of examination or just some. They can help you set goals and schedule the test, because the time you should take to prepare can vary greatly. If you are having trouble finding a class ask the closest testing center or visit the GED prep contacts by state. The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) web page has a feature that allows you to enter your ZIP code and see what local GED resources are available.
Textbooks are available that focus on preparing for the exams as a whole and preparing for individual subjects. Some books explore typical problem areas for test-takers and include a pretest evaluation and complete explanations. ACE publishes an official preparation textbook. Some prep materials are designated "pre-GED" and "GED" to distinguish the learning level of the person using them.
Practice questions are available as components of GED textbooks, separate worksheets and online resources. Practice essays are commonly available in the same places. ACE has official GED practice tests (OPT) in short and full-length versions. There are also flashcards designed to drill information commonly found on the GED exams. ACE and the Public Broadcasting System have devised GED Connection, a setup that connects people studying for the test with relevant programming.
Develop a strategy for answering questions. Each question on the test has an equal value when graded, so decide how you will determine it is time to move on from a question giving you difficulty. Broken down by the number of questions and the time limit for each test, you have 1.5 minutes to answer each writing question, 1.4 for social studies, 1.6 for science and reading comprehension, and 1.8 minutes for each mathematics question.
For the science section, do some outside reading on environmental and health topics that might be relevant. This section tends to use more topical information on subjects like recycling, pollution and sustainability, heredity and gene mapping.
When it comes time to take the test, check with the testing center for a list of restricted items. Centers make available calculators to use on half of the math test, which also has common math formulas printed on it.