GED RLA For Dummies

Achim K. Krull, Murray Shukyn

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781119030065
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Study Guides

Read and write your way to excellence on the GED RLA Test

Does the thought of taking the GED RLA Test make you red in the face? Fear not! With the help of GED RLA 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 RLA Test like a pro. Packed with helpful guidance and instruction, this hands-on test-prep guide covers the concepts covered onthe GED RLA Test and gives you ample practice opportunities to assess your understanding of the Language Arts, Writing, and Language Arts Reading sections of the exam.

Designed to test your understanding of reading, writing, and editing skills, the GED RLA 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 reading and language arts test skills, tips on how to approach GED RLA 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 RLA test question types and basic computer skills
• Offers passages and questions that assess reading comprehension, language conventions, and usage
• Includes one full-length GED RLA practice test
• Provides scoring guidelines and detailed answer explanations

Even if reading, writing, and editing have never been your strong suit, GED RLA 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 RLA 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 Reading Through Language Arts test and the knowledge and skills it requires you to demonstrate.

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, including during the exam.

Chapter 1

Taking a Quick Glance at the GED RLA Test

In This Chapter

Warming up to the GED test format

Checking out what’s on the GED RLA test

Registering for the test and choosing a test date

Completing the GED test when English is your second language

Understanding what your score means and how it’s 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 United States (U.S.) high-school diploma without the need for full-time attendance in either day or night school. The GED test is a recognized standard that makes securing a job or college placement easier.

The GED test complies with current Grade 12 standards in the U.S. 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 United States. These standards are based on the actual expectations stated by employers and postsecondary institutions.

The GED test measures whether you understand what high-school seniors across the country have studied before they graduate. Employers need better-educated employees. In addition, some colleges may be uncertain of the quality of foreign credentials. The GED 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.

You’re permitted to take the GED in sections, so you can take the Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Math, Science, and Social Studies tests in separate testing sessions. This flexibility enables you to focus your studies and practice on one section of the test at a time, and this book supports your efforts to do just that.

Ready to get started? This chapter gives you the basics of the GED RLA test: how the test is administered, what the RLA test section 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).

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 centers provide 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 detailed transcript of your scores, similar to what high-school graduates receive. They’re now 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 those areas where you did well and areas where you need further work. If you want to (or have to) retake the test, these results will provide a detailed 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.

Reviewing the GED RLA Test

The Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) test is one long test that covers all the literacy components of the GED test. The 150-minute test is divided into three sections. First, you have 35 minutes on all content in question-and-answer format, then 45 minutes for the Extended Response (essay), followed by a 10-minute break, and then another 60 minutes for more general test items.

Time for the Extended Response can’t be used to work on the other questions in the test, nor can you use leftover time from the other sections to work on the Extended Response.

Here’s what you can expect on the RLA test:

• The literacy component asks you to correct text, respond to writings, and generally demonstrate a critical understanding of various passages. This task includes demonstrating a command of proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• The Extended Response item, also known as “the essay,” examines your skills in organizing your thoughts and writing clearly. Your response will be based on one or two source text selections, drawing key elements from that material to prepare your essay.
  The essay is evaluated both on your interpretation of the source texts and the quality of your writing. You type on the computer, using a tool that resembles a word processor. It has neither a spell-checker nor a grammar-checker. How well you use spelling and grammar as you write is also part of your evaluation. You’ll have an erasable tablet on which to prepare a draft before writing the final document.
• The scores from both components will be combined into one single score for the RLA test.

The question-answer part of this test consists mainly of various types of multiple-choice questions (also called items) and the occasional fill-in-the-blank question. Most items will be in the traditional multiple-choice format with four answer choices, but you’ll also see drag-and-drop and drop-down menu items. For details on the different question types, see Chapters 2 and 3.

These items are based on source texts, which are materials presented to you for your response. Some of this source material is nonfiction from science and social studies content as well as from the workplace. About 25 percent is based on literature. Here’s a breakdown of the materials:

• Workplace materials: These documents include work-related letters, memos, and instructions that you may see on the job.
• U.S. founding documents and documents that present part of the Great American Conversation: These bits may include extracts from the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and other historical documents. They also may include opinion pieces on relevant issues in American history and civics.
• Informational works: These texts include documents that present information (often dry and boring information), such as the instructional manual that tells you how to set up an Internet connection on your tablet. They also include materials that you may find in history, social studies, or science books.
• Literature: These sources include extracts from novels, plays, and similar materials.

You find a variety of problems in t...

Table of contents

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