The GED test requires takers to demonstrate skills in comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This basically means that to pass the test, the applicant must have knowledge in certain areas (such as grammar rules and basic math formulas), be able to determine what knowledge is needed for each question and apply it properly. There are five timed sections to the test.
The writing portion of the GED test consists of two parts. The first has 50 multiple-choice questions about such things as punctuation, verb tense, capitalization and word order. For most questions, you are given a sentence or paragraph and asked what correction should be made. You will have 75 minutes to complete these questions. The second portion is an essay. You will be expected to write on a given topic, which will generally be based on your own experience. You will have 45 minutes to complete the essay portion.
The 65-minute reading portion has 40 multiple-choice questions. You will be required to read several lines of poetry or paragraphs of prose and then answer questions that test your understanding of what was read. These questions expect you to make inferences, compare and contrast information and draw conclusions, among other skills.
The social studies section has an emphasis on history and also tests your knowledge of geography, government and economics. These are also multiple-choice questions, and you will need to complete 50 in 70 minutes.
You will have 80 minutes to complete the 50 questions in the science section. These questions test your knowledge of physical science, which might include topics such as the parts of an atom or chemical reactions, as well as life and Earth sciences.
Eighty percent of the questions on the math portion are multiple choice. The rest require you to fill in an answer and shade the corresponding circles on a grid (see Resources). You will have 90 minutes to complete the math section, which tests some algebraic skills as well as geometry and basic arithmetic.