GED Science For Dummies

Murray Shukyn, Achim K. Krull

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781119029861
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Study Guides

Passing the GED Science Test has never been easier

Does the thought of taking the GED Science Test make you sweat? Fear not! With the help of GED Science Test For Dummies, you'll get up to speed on the new structure and computer-based format of the GED and gain the confidence and know-how to pass the Science Test like a pro. Packed with helpful guidance and instruction, this hands-on test-prep guide covers the concepts covered onthe GED Science Test and gives you ample practice opportunities to assess your understanding of Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth and Space Science.

Designed to test your understanding of the fundamentals of science reasoning and the ability to apply those fundamentals in realistic situations, the GED Science Test can be tough for the uninitiated. Luckily, this fun and accessible guide breaks down each section of the exam into easily digestible parts, making everything you'll encounter on exam day feel like a breeze! Inside, you'll find methods to sharpen your science vocabulary and data analysis skills, tips on how to approach GED Science Test question types and formats, practice questions and study exercises, and a full-length practice test to help you pinpoint where you need more study help.

• Presents reviews of the GED Science test question types and basic computer skills
• Offers practice questions to assess your knowledge of each subject area
• Includes one full-length GED Science practice test
• Provides scoring guidelines and detailed answer explanations

Even if science is something that's always made you squeamish, GED Science Test For Dummies makes it easy to pass this crucial exam and obtain your hard-earned graduate equivalency diploma.

Part I

Getting Started with the GED Science Test

For Dummies can help you get started with lots of subjects. Visit www.dummies.com to learn more and do more with For Dummies.

In this part …

Get oriented to the test format, question types, test scheduling, and scoring, and find out what steps to take if English isn’t your first language.

Find out what’s on the GED Science test and the knowledge and skills you’ll be required to demonstrate on the test.

Take a diagnostic test to identify your strengths and weaknesses and highlight the areas where you may need additional practice.

Prepare for the actual test day and find out what you should or shouldn’t do on the day(s) before and the day of the test and during the exam.

Chapter 1

Taking a Quick Glance at the GED Science Test

In This Chapter

Warming up to the GED test format

Glancing at what’s covered on the GED Science test

Registering for the exam

Completing the GED test when English is your second language

Understanding what your scores mean and how they’re determined

The GED test offers high-school dropouts, people who leave school early, and people who were educated outside the United States an opportunity to earn the equivalent of a U.S. high-school diploma without the need for full-time attendance in either day or night school. The GED certificate is a recognized standard that makes securing a job or college placement easier.

The GED test complies with current 12th grade standards in the United States and meets the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education. The GED test also covers the Common Core Standards, used in most states in the country. These standards are based on the actual expectations stated by employers and postsecondary institutions.

The GED test measures whether you understand and can use what high-school seniors across the country have studied before they graduate. Employers want better-educated employees. In addition, some colleges may be uncertain of the quality of foreign credentials. The GED certificate provides those assurances. When you pass the GED test, you earn a high-school equivalency diploma. That can open many doors for you — perhaps doors that you don’t even know exist at this point.

The new GED test is now given on a computer and has taken advantage of many different formats that the computer can create. Most of them are variations of multiple choice. You can see examples of all these formats and how they would appear on the computer screen by looking at any of the new editions of the GED Test For Dummies books (published by Wiley).

For the purposes of this book, we use mainly the multiple-choice option because it’s one of the universally accepted formats for testing of this type, and if you can acquire the skills to answer a multiple-choice question, you can easily manage any of its variations.

Ready to get started? This chapter gives you the basics of the GED Science test: how the test is administered and what it looks like, how to schedule the test, including whether you’re eligible, and how your score is calculated (so you know what you need to focus on to pass).

Note: The diagnostic test in Chapter 3 helps you discover your weaknesses and strengths so that with additional practice, you can convert your weaknesses into strengths.

Knowing What to Expect: The GED Test Format

A computer administers the GED test. That means that all the questions appear on a computer screen, and you enter all your answers into a computer. You read, evaluate, analyze, and write everything on the computer. Even when drafting an essay, you don’t use paper. Instead, the test center provides you with an erasable tablet. If you know how to use a computer and are comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse, you’re ahead of the game. If not, practice your keyboarding. Also, practice reading from a computer screen because reading from a screen is very different from reading printed materials. At the very least, you need to get more comfortable with computers, even if that means taking a short course at a local learning center. In the case of the GED test, the more familiar you are with computers, the more comfortable you’ll feel taking the computerized test.

Under certain circumstances, as a special accommodation, the sections are available in booklet format. Check with the GED Testing Service to see what exceptions are acceptable.

The computer-based GED test allows for speedy, detailed feedback on your performance. When you pass (yes, we said when and not if, because we believe in you), the GED Testing Service provides both a diploma and a transcript of your scores, similar to what high-school graduates receive. They’re available online at www.gedtestingservice.com within a day of completing the test. You can then send your transcript and diploma to an employer or college. Doing so allows employers and colleges access to a detailed outline of your scores, achievement, and demonstrated skills and abilities. This outline is also a useful tool for you to review your progress. It highlights areas where you did well and areas where you need further work. If you want to (or have to) retake the test, these results provide a guide to what you should work on to improve your scores. Requests for additional copies of transcripts are handled online and also are available within a day.

Getting a Glimpse of What’s on the Science Test

The GED Science test is 90 minutes long. The test includes two short-answer questions, but these questions are not timed separately. Students are expected to manage their time and spend about 10 minutes on each of the short-answer questions. To prepare for the Science test, read as much science material as you can get your hands on. Whenever you don’t understand a word or concept, look it up in a dictionary or online. The items on the Science test assume a high-school level of science vocabulary.

You don’t have to be a nuclear physicist to answer the questions, but you should be familiar with the vocabulary normally understood by someone completing high school. If you work at improving your scientific vocabulary, you should have little trouble with the Science test. (Note: That same advice applies to all the GED test’s sections. Improve your vocabulary in each subject and you’ll perform better.)

The Science test concentrates on two main themes:

• Human health and living systems
• Energy and related systems

In addition, the content of the problems focus on one of the following areas:

• Physical science: About 40 percent of the test focuses on physics and chemistry, including topics such as conservation, transformation, and energy flow; work, motion, and forces; and chemical properties and reactions related to living systems.
• Life science: Another 40 percent of the Science test deals with life science, including biology and, more specifically, the human body and health, the relationship between life functions and energy intake, ecosystems, the structure and function of life, and heredity and evolution.
• Earth and space science: This area makes up the remaining 20 percent of this test and includes astronomy — interactions between Earth’s systems and living things, Earth and its system components and interactions, and the structure and organization of the cosmos.

Go ahead and type one of the three content areas into y...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part I: Getting Started with the GED Science Test
• Part II: Honing Your Science Skills and Knowledge
• Part III: Testing Your Science Skills and Knowledge
• Part IV: The Part of Tens
• About the Authors
• Cheat Sheet
• Advertisement Page
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement