Take a Class
You should take a GED prep class. A GED prep class gives you access to teachers and hands-on computer simulation. You’ll also benefit from the camaraderie of your fellow classmates. Community colleges and other adult education centers across the country offer GED test preparation. Locate a GED prep center near you.
Take Notes In Class
Yes, the GED is computerized. When you take the test, you are not allowed to use a pencil and scratch paper; instead, you are provided with a marker and an erasable wipe-off board. Even so, it is important to take notes in class. When you take notes, you are active, not passive. When you take notes, you are actively listening and learning.
Rewrite Your Notes After Class
Closely related to taking notes in class is rewriting your notes after class. The simple act of rewriting your notes after class is, in itself, a powerful form of studying. Rewriting is active, not passive. When you rewrite, your notes are better organized and more legible. You are better able to see material you understand and material you don’t understand. For material you don’t understand, you are better able to jot down questions, for which you will seek answers.
Ask Questions
If you don’t understand something, ask questions. If you are in class, many other students will have the same questions (but be too shy to ask). If your questions come from the notes you rewrote after class, ask your teacher the next time you’re in class. Many teachers also have office hours, through which you can ask questions, outside of class.
Ask for a Tutor
Some GED prep centers offer access to free voluntary tutors. Typically, these tutors are retired professionals.
Study
Use study materials.
Study. Study. Study.
Stick with it. Stick with it. Stick with it.
Study Outside Of Class
Unfortunately, no matter how well you think you understand a subject in class, new material has a way of leaking from your brain shortly after class. Studying on your own outside of class plugs leaks and cements knowledge.
Studying Alone
Studying is not a social event. Studying is between you, a pencil, and a piece of paper. Studying is also between you, a computer, a calculator, and GED-related online material.
Studying with Others
Some people find it difficult to study alone. Some people prefer to have a study buddy. Keep in mind, however, that if you choose to study with other people, you must guard against the study session deteriorating into a social event in which little, if any, studying is accomplished.
Studying at the Library
It is often difficult to study at home. There are too many distractions. The library, on the other hand, is a quiet protected place without distractions. The library also gives you access to a computer.
Study without Distractions
At first, studying at a library with your cellphone turned off without texting, selfies, music, television, youtube, instagram, snapchat, tiktok, facebook, twitter, and all other distractions might seem like torture. Over time, however, as you concentrate on the task at hand, time will fly by. Over time, after several productive study sessions, you will come to look forward to having a quiet place to yourself.
Study with a Computer
Although many people rely on a smartphone, it is better to study with the full screen of a computer. If you don’t own a computer, a public library or a GED prep center should have one that you can use for free.
Buy and Use the TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator
The GED provides an on-screen TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator during the test, but you will need the handheld TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator while you study before the test, especially outside of class. As a supplement to the on-screen calculator, you should bring your own handheld calculator for use in the test. No other brand of handheld calculator is allowed. The TI-30XS MultiView Scientific Calculator is available for under $20.00 from many different vendors, including Amazon, Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, and Walmart, to name a few.
Enlist Family, Friends, and Loved Ones
Let them know that you want to pass the GED. Ask if they can help with chores around the house, look after your children for awhile, and free you up to study. Explain that when you pass the GED, they will benefit, too. That’s the truth.
Establish Protected Time
Protected Time is a special form of time in which you are neither interrupted nor have responsibilities other than studying. Enlisting the help of family, friends, and loved ones is essential for establishing Protected Time. Long after you have passed the GED, you will appreciate the concept of Protected Time. Even when it is set aside for something other than going to the library to study, Protected Time affords you the opportunity to utilize a quiet place of your choice in which to work toward your other goals.
Focus on Concepts, Not Memorization
The GED does not require you to memorize an encyclopedia. Neither does life. Although some background knowledge is helpful, the GED, like life, focuses on reasoning and your ability to think things through. That’s why the GED’s questions about reading come from a passage you’ve just read. When you understand such concepts as Main Idea, Detail, and Inference, you have a good chance of answering questions about what you’ve just read. Likewise, many of the GED’s questions about math come from formulas that you are given on the Mathematics Formula Sheet. When you understand such concepts as Expressions and Plug-Ins, you have a good chance of translating word problems into math language for answering questions involving formulas and the calculator. Whether reading the news or choosing between a ¼ and a ½ screwdriver, you use reasoning all the time in real life. You will be able to think things through on the GED, too.
Visualize
As you study, visualize yourself taking the GED. When you take the test, you will be reenacting the studying and problem-solving you did in a quiet place. You will just be at a different desk. When you take the test, you will see that you’ve done it before and you can do it again.
GED Ready
After you have prepared inside and outside of class and you feel ready, take GED Ready practice tests to see if you arer indeed ready to pass the real thing.
Don’t Cram
Don’t stay up all night, gulping caffeine-laden drinks, trying to cram for the GED. The best thing you can do the night before the test is get a good night’s sleep.
You Should Be Proud
Making the commitment to study will bring out the best in you.