GED Preparation guide
If you need guidance or assistance with GED preparation, follow along with this handy guide to find out everything you need to know about the GED exam.
When you have a high school diploma, many doors can open for you including higher academic degrees, training certifications, and more job opportunities. Although these are excellent reasons to graduate from high school, there are many situations that may make that accomplishment difficult or impossible. Fortunately, you can still receive the equivalent of a high school diploma, a GED. A GED is a General Educational Development exam that assesses your knowledge in major subjects and determines if you are at a high school graduate level. In this exam, you will find out what the GED exam involves, why it is important to take the GED, what GED preparation work is, how you can prep for the GED, what the cost of GED preparation is, and what the benefits of preparation are. 
What is the GED?
The GED is a comprehensive exam, evaluating your knowledge and skill in four main categories: language arts, social studies, science, and math. Each exam is scored from 100 to 200, whereby a passing score is 145. If you receive at least a 145 on an exam, you will receive your GED. Most academic institutions and employers in the United States recognize your GED as equivalent to a successful high school diploma.
Why Is It Important to Have A GED?
It may be important to take and receive the GED for many personal and practical reasons. The most common reasons for pursuing the GED are:
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To obtain better job opportunities: While it is possible to get an entry-level job in some domains without a high school diploma or GED, you can open up significantly more doors by acquiring your high school leaving. You will also increase your pay or be able to advance your career in different directions.
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To pursue higher academia: Many individuals decide they wish to attend career school, college, or university. A high school diploma or a GED allows you to pursue those dreams, as it is a prerequisite for many schools and programs.
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To obtain training certificates: Some technical training schools and programs require a high school diploma or GED as a prerequisite.
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To boost self-image: Many people find it difficult not to have a high school diploma. If you suffer from poor self-image or self-confidence, for this reason, you may feel much better in successfully passing the GED.
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To have knowledge: While preparing for the GED, you will learn a number of topics and subjects that are deemed crucial to operate in today’s world as an adult. You will have a greater grasp and understanding of topics that you must frequently confront.
What Is GED Preparation?
GED preparation allows you to learn the subject matter required to obtain a successful high school leaving. You will learn writing, reading comprehension, social sciences, sciences, and mathematics. Additionally, when you carry out proper GED preparation, you will learn precisely what kinds of questions will be on the exams. It can be intimidating to enter into an exam without knowing what to expect, as you may not know how they want you to answer the question. Often, graders are looking for specific types of answers. As such, GED preparation can make sure you know how to answer the question and how to structure your answers. In this way, you can feel confident you will walk out of your exam with a passing grade.
What Are the Kinds of GED Prep?
There are two different ways you can prepare for the GED:
Self-Prep
One of the simplest routes is to purchase GED preparation handbooks. The books teach you the required subjects and provide mock questions and answers. If you are better at learning by yourself, with minimal intervention, this may be the best way to prepare for the GED. You can also take your time if you choose this route. You may like to take a self-guided course. They provide guidebooks, tutorial videos, and personal assistance if you have any questions.
The best self-prep courses include:
Interactive Classes
You can also take live, interactive classes online or in person. These are the most popular type of GED preparation as it allows you to work on content in a classroom setting. You will also receive guidebooks, practice exams, and answers to your questions in real-time. For the average learner, interactive classes are a great solution.
The best classes include:
What Is the Cost of GED Preparation?
Some in-person classes and online courses are entirely free. However, if you would like to receive the very best courses and resources, you can expect to pay between $50 and $200 for a few months of material and guidance. Typically, you will pay for programs on a monthly or 90-day basis.
Depending on where you are located, you can expect to pay between $0 and $60 to take the GED exam itself. Some states offer your test completely free, while others charge a fee to account for the test materials and moderator time. You can also take the GED exam online in most states.
What Are the Benefits of GED Preparation?
There are many benefits to GED preparation:
- Refreshing Your Memory: If you have been out of high school for a while, you may not remember the subjects and course content well. It is important to both refresh your mind and catches up on what you did not learn before taking a GED exam.
- Saving Time and Money: Since the GED exam can be lengthy, taking up to 7.5 hours to fully complete, you may not wish to take it more than one or two times. GED preparation can help ensure you successfully pass the exam on the first try. Likewise, if the GED exam has a fee in your state, you may not wish to pay more than once.
- Having Higher Chances of Success: GED preparation can help you know what to expect on the exam, how to answer questions properly, and how the exam will be corrected. For this reason, you will have a higher chance of passing the exam if you thoroughly prepare.
- Reducing Stress: Do you have exam anxiety or stress? GED preparation can help reduce your worries by helping you feel confident in your test-taking abilities.
