Professors at the University of Mexico have drafted a time management plan to assist students with preparing for the GED test essay question. They suggest a preparation and writing period that divides the 45-minute time allowance into the following increments:
• Reading Directions and Topic -- 3 minutes
• Outlining/Brainstorming -- 5 minutes
• Write Thesis Statement -- 3 minutes
• Write the Essay -- 20 minutes.
• Refine Your Ideas -- 8 minutes
• Edit for Grammar -- 6 minutes
Getting used to dividing your essay writing time into the above increments will help you manage your time and improve your score.
A particular process is used to evaluate students' GED essay answers. A panel of two evaluators looks at each essay and grades it based on the major components of sound writing. In particular, evaluators look for a well focused main idea and coherent development of that idea, clear organization of thoughts, and proper grammar and syntax as well as good diction.
GED essays are on general topics that allow you to express your own ideas and argue your viewpoints. The test is designed to get you to pull information from you own personal experience, knowledge and observations to back up the points you make in your essay. You need not remember quotations from books or historical dates to write a passing essay.
The website GEDForFree provides numerous examples of the types of questions you can expect to see on the GED test. An example is "What characteristics make a person a good parent?" Such general topics allow you to base your answer almost solely on your own point of view, with examples of what makes you believe the way you do. Published GED preparation materials include examples of essay questions topics; these materials can be found online or at bookstores and libraries.