The Canadian GED For Dummies

Murray Shukyn, Dale E. Shuttleworth

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9780470681183
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Study Guides

With a General Education Development (GED) diploma, a Canadian's chance for employment and higher education opportunities increases dramatically. The Canadian GED For Dummies offers Canadians taking the test the edge they need to succeed. Unlike other guides, which overwhelm readers with information, this friendly guide provides readers with what they need to know. The book offers two full practice tests and detailed walk-throughs and explanations for every solution. In addition to the essential GED basics, readers will benefit from general information regarding test preparation--from registering and studying effectively to managing time during the exam.

Part I

Putting the GED into Perspective

In this part . . .

Okay, you want to earn your high school diploma but don’t have time to attend classes eight or so hours a day for four years, so you’ve turned to the GED for help. And now you need help preparing for the GED! Lucky for you, this part of the book is here to help you get started in your test planning and preparation. It introduces you to the GED and gives you a brief look at each of the five tests. It gives you a chance to see what the GED expects you to know to receive your high school equivalency diploma, as well as what you need to prepare for. It also offers some logistical help with how to schedule the test so you can make sure you’re eligible to take it before you sign up. Plus, it gives you a peek inside how the tests are scored so you can be at the top of the heap when all the results come in.

Here you can also find plenty of tips for succeeding on the GED tests. You find out what to take with you and what to leave at home, what to do if you have special needs, and how to manage your time. Finally, it explains the importance of practice tests. The more practice you get, the better prepared you’ll be for what the test throws at you, so don’t hesitate — turn the page and get ready to meet the GED head on!

Chapter 1

Taking a Quick Glance at the GED

In This Chapter

Reviewing the different GED test sections and questions

Registering for the exam

Knowing that you can take the GED when English is your second language

Understanding what your scores mean and how they’re determined

The General Educational Development (GED) tests measure whether you understand what Grade 12 and CEGEP students across the country are supposed to have learned before they graduate. When you pass these tests, you earn a high school equivalency certificate or diploma, which can open many doors for you — perhaps doors that you don’t even know exist at this point.

Ready to get started? This chapter gives you the basics of the GED tests: what the tests look like, how to answer the questions on them, how to schedule the tests, and what to do after you get your scores back.

Reviewing the Test Sections

The GED tests include the following five tests, each of which you can take separately:

Language Arts, Writing, Parts I and II

Social Studies

Science

Language Arts, Reading

Mathematics, Parts I and II

Although you can take each of the five tests separately, you must take both parts of the Language Arts, Writing or Mathematics tests at the same time.

The following sections offer a closer look into what these tests cover and how they’re set up.

Language Arts, Writing Test

The Language Arts, Writing Test is split into two parts (which we explain further in the following sections):

Part I asks you to rewrite and revise passages. This part focuses on your grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills.

Part II asks you to write an essay on a given topic. This part examines your skills in organizing your thoughts and writing clearly.

You have to pass both parts to get a score in this test. If you pass one part of the test but not the other, you must retake both parts the next time.

Language Arts, Writing Test, Part I

The Language Arts, Writing Test, Part I, has 50 multiple-choice questions and a time limit of 75 minutes. In this test, you’re asked to edit and revise material that’s given to you. This material comes from the following sources:

Workplace materials: Work-related letters, memos, and instructions that you may see on the job

How-to books: Samples of general reference books that are supposed to make you richer, stronger, and lighter, or a better cook, driver, investor, or student (or anything else you want to become better at)

Informational works: Documents that present you with information (often dry and boring information), such as the instructional manual for your DVD player

You find three question types in this part of the Language Arts, Writing Test:

Correction: You’re asked to correct sentences presented to you.

Revision: You’re presented with a sentence that has a word or phrase underlined. If the sentence needs a correction, one of the answer choices will be better than the word or phrase underlined. If no correction is needed, either one of the answer choices will be the same as the underlined portion, or one of the choices will be something like “no correction needed.”

Construction shift: You have to correct a sentence by altering the sentence structure. The original sentence may not be completely wrong, but it can be improved with a li...