What’s on the GED Science Test?
To score well on the GED® Science Test you need to be able to understand, interpret, and apply scientific information.
Data will be provided in reading texts, graphs, charts, diagrams, tables, maps or a combination of these. You need to use your reasoning skills to interpret science information.
The GED® Science test covers three main categories:
1. Life Science (45%)
2. Physical Science (physics and chemistry, 35%)
3. Earth and Space Science (20%)
The test is 90 minutes with no breaks.
Many scientific processes use mathematics. When required, an on-screen calculator will be provided. You will also be given a white board and marker to use for any rough calculations.
The GED® Science Test is not a memory test. You will not have to study parrot-fashion and cram memorised facts and information the night before the GED® Science Test. The aim of the test is to evaluate your skills. You do not need to memorise laws, definitions or information like the entire period chart, but you need to recognise names, symbols and key elements.
Do not think of it as a Science-only test. You will not be asked to remember a lot of facts, but rather to interpret the set of facts that they present. Your English reading and comprehension skills and Maths skills will all come in very usefully to understand and answer the real problem they are asking you to solve. Helicopter out and see the big picture before you delve into the details.
Jacques van Schoor, Glow Academy
The three main categories will cover the following content areas:
Life Science includes the structure of cells and their processes and functions, human life and body functions, nutrition and energy intake, genetics and DNA, reproduction and heredity, evolution and natural selection, and the organization of ecosystems.
Physical Science topics include energy flows and conservation, work, motion and forces, atoms and molecules, properties and states of matter, chemical properties and reactions, waves, electricity, and magnetism.
Earth and Space Science focuses on the solar system and the universe, the geological structure of the earth, plate tectonics, geological cycles and processes, renewable and non-renewable natural resources, weather and climate, the relationship between the earth’s structure and living things etc.
GED Science Test Skills
Besides testing your comprehension and reading of science passages and graphics, you will also be tested on your understanding of the process of scientific methods and investigation.
You will need to show that you have skills like the following:
- Interpret passages and explain data presented in graphs
- Use the scientific method to design experiments and investigations
- Reason from data and work with results
- Evaluate conclusions and evidence
- Apply concepts, formulas and theories
- Use probabilities and statistics in a scientific context
- Determine the meaning of terms and symbols
- Identify possible sources of error in an investigation
- Hypothesise and make predictions about a scientific investigation
- Express scientific findings in text, graphs, numerically or symbolically
- Use sampling techniques to answer scientific questions
GED Science Test Question Formats
- Multiple-choice questions have four options (A, B, C or D) and you must select the best answer.
- Drag-and-drop questions will present you with a small image, words, or numerical expression and you will have to select the correct answer and then drag and drop it in a specified location on the computer screen.
- Drop-down questions will present you with various options and you will have to click on the correct response to complete a statement.
- Fill-in-the-blank questions will require you to type a word, phrase, or number in a box that appears on the screen.
- Hot-spot items consist of a graphic image or images. You will need to click on one or more “points” or graphics on the screen to select an area.
Go Prep’s online GED study programme will help you to develop the skills that you need to succeed on the Science test. With lessons, quizzes and practice tests you will be able to measure your progress. The system will tell you when you are ready to book your test. Until then, you can study and prepare in your own time until you have mastered all the skills that you need.
What’s on the GED® Test?
See what’s on the GED® Test for each subject.
