GED testing can be difficult without the proper preparations, and a student should be ready to cover topics commonly covered in a high school classroom. GED testing will be broader than high school tests, however, and the testing will focus more on general aptitude and application of skills. Contrary to what many students believe, GED testing is not easier than high school testing and it will require a significant amount of studying and preparation in a wide variety of subjects, such as math, science, social studies, English, and other topics generally covered in high school. GED preparation classes are available to help students prepare for the test.
A student considering GED testing will want to obtain preparation materials, such as books or online preparation sites. These materials will help the student refresh his or her knowledge of subject matter already learned, and learn new materials that will almost certainly be covered by GED testing. Local community colleges and even some high schools offer GED preparation classes that will cover topics likely to show up on the test as well. It is important to prepare for GED testing because the topics covered will be broad and someone taking the test may not have covered those topics for quite some time.
Many high school tests focus on memorization of concepts, while GED testing focuses more on the application of those concepts. The test may, therefore, seem more difficult to some students who are accustomed to simply memorizing concepts. The GED test will require the student to demonstrate understanding of the application of the concepts; one section of the test, for example, may ask the student to construct a compound sentence, rather than define a compound sentence. Another example may require students to find the slope of a line rather than define what the slope of a line is.
It is important, too, for a student to research the structure of the test, including the different subject sections and the types of questions contained therein. A student will have to write an essay as part of the GED test, so it is worth finding out the scoring criteria and studying essay structure. Knowing the structure of the test will help the student avoid confusion when taking the test, and he or she will be more prepared to answer the types of questions contained in the test. The student will also spend less time trying to figure out how to navigate through the section and more time answering the questions thoroughly.