GED TESTING: WHAT IS ON THE TEST? The GED exam consists of five sub-tests in the following subjects: SOCIAL STUDIES: The social studies content area is made up of 50 multiple choice questions from the following content areas: History (U.S., 25%*; World, 15%) Geography (15%) Civics and government (25%) Economics (20%) Time Allotted: 70 minutes SCIENCE: The science content area contains 50 multiple choice questions from the following content areas: Physical science (physics and chemistry, 35%) Life science (45%) Earth and space science (20%) Time Allotted: 80 minutes LANGUAGE ARTS- READING: The language arts, reading content area contains 40 multiple choice questions. Fictional literature constitutes 75% of each test and includes at least one selection from each of the following areas: Poetry Drama Prose fiction before 1920 Prose fiction between 1920 and 1960 Prose fiction after 1960 Nonfiction constitutes 25% of each test and includes two selections of nonfiction prose from any two of the following areas: Nonfiction prose Visual and performing arts reviews Workplace and community documents Time Allotted: 65 minutes LANGUAGE ARTS- WRITING: The language arts, writing content area is divided into two parts. The scores are combined and reported as a single score. Part I The first part contains 50 multiple choice questions from the following content areas: Organization (15%) Sentence structure (30%) Usage (30%) Mechanics (25%) Time Allotted: 75 minutes Part II The second part consists of writing an essay about a familiar subject. You will have 45 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. The essay topic will require you to present your opinion or explain your views about the assigned topic. Two trained readers will score your essay on the basis of the following features: Focused main points Clear organization Specific development of ideas Sentence structure control, punctuation, grammar, word choice, and spelling Each reader will score your essay on a four-point scale, and the scores will be averaged to find your final score. If you earn a final score of less than two on the essay, you must retake language arts, writing, Part I and Part II. Time Allotted: 45 minutes MATHEMATICS: The mathematics content area contains 50 questions divided into two parts, and focuses on the following content areas: Number operations and number sense (20-30%) Measurement and geometry (20-30%) Data analysis, statistics, and probability (20-30%) Algebra, functions, and patterns (20-30%) Alternate-format questions: The mathematics content area is 80 percent multiple choice questions and 20 percent constructed answers. On the constructed answers, you must write answers on either standard or coordinate plane grids, rather than select from five multiple choice answers. Please review the directions for standard grid and coordinate plane grid. Note: Part I of the Mathematics Section is calculator active. Calculators are not permitted on Part II. The calculator permitted on the test is the Casio fx-260 and it is distributed at the test center. Time Allotted: 90 minutes