Reddit reviews GED Test Prep Plus 2019: 2 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies + Online (Kaplan Test Prep)

Hi u/mary_matevosian -

I would recommend purchasing the Kaplan or McGraw-Hill GED textbook if you have not done so already.

Kaplan

https://www.amazon.com/GED-Test-Prep-Plus-2019/dp/1506239439

McGraw-Hill

https://www.amazon.com/McGraw-Hill-Education-Preparation-Test-Third/dp/1260118282

\> I'm not from the US

Your English language skills appears to be fine, so with proper study using one of the mentioned books and preferably a course in your area, I don't think this will pose any additional problem for you based on that versus someone in a different circumstance.

You don't need to know any geography or really any names or dates. Social Studies is not a test that really involves memorization.

For the most part, the Social Studies portion of the exam is a reading comprehension exercise that requires a basic knowledge of US history (Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII) and basic civics (Constitution, elections, branches of government) and the ability to read and comprehend texts. You do not need to have memorized any dates or names. This is mostly just helpful in aiding your understanding of the texts. SS is similar to domain 1 and 2 on the Language Arts exam.

The 3 topics covered are Reading for Meaning in Social Studies, Analyzing Historical Events and Arguments in Social Studies, and using Numbers and graphs in Social Studies.

How to read charts and graphs and calculating the mean, median, mode for a given set of data relating to an article or text in using Numbers and Graphs sometimes gives students problems.

I would recommend looking at some of the sample questions on the GED.com website to get a feeling for it - and purchasing the practice test from that site. The one panel cartoons and calculating the mean usually give students problems, but other than that many students do not find it as difficult as the Math and Language Arts portions of the exam.

If you no idea what I'm talking about with civics, here watch these clips under 3m for the most part, you'll know more than most Americans, I know they're mostly old cartoons, but old cartoons are actually better than most recent tv or textbooks:

We have 3 branches of federal government - Executive (president), Bicameral Legislature (Congress + Senate), and Judiciary (Supreme Court)

Civics:

Schoolhouse Rock: America - I'm Just a Bill Music Video (How Legislation Works) 3m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFroMQlKiag

School House Rock - The Constitution (3m)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnVmIrAiQB8

Three Branches of Government School House Rock - 3 branches of Gov't

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EISWIY9bG8

Founding -> Revolution

Liberty's Kids - Continental Congress/Founding Fathers(20m) - this is probably the most educational show ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqTFw4kI0Ic

SchoolHouse Rock - No More Kings - Founding of America -> Revolution 3m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvOZs3g3qIo

Slavery->Civil War

The Civil War Animated 3m - Disregard the comments, the video's fine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHGPljbK7Bk

"I Am A Slave" - The Roots Meet Schoolhouse Rock - black-ish - Slave Trade, triangular trade diagram 0:31, Emancipation Proclamation 1m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_FP7x322cc

Suffrage/Women's Rights

School House Rock - Sufferin' 'til Suffrage - Women's Rights 19th Amendment 3m:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY3j_pxSIrA

I'm looking for WWI and WWII but the short version is WWII was the one with the Nazis and Hitler and WWI was caused by alliances and the assassination of Arch-duke Ferdinand.

edit:

WWI

Oversimplified WWI part I 6m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHSQAEam2yc

part II 7m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mun1dKkc_As

WWII

Oversimplified part 1 13m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uk_6vfqwTA

part 2 15m

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo2Rb9h788s

I use Kaplan usually. https://www.amazon.com/GED-Test-Prep-Plus-2019/dp/1506239439
There is also Barron https://www.amazon.com/Prepare-Test-Barrons-Book-Only/dp/1438007973/
And I am sure Amazon has quite a few other options, but those tend to be the most reputable.

Vocabulary: While vocabulary is not tested directly on the GED, I have noticed that it can be a key sticking point for some students, particularly for non-native English speakers. It can also hold some people back on the Social Studies and Science sections. But if you have a basic high school-level vocabulary, you're going to be in good shape.

Typing: The only part you need typing for is the essay, on which (if you want to get points) you need to be able to produce between 300 and 500 words in 45 minutes. If you spent the whole time just typing, you'd only need to type like 10 words per minute, which is really slow. But if you spend 30 minutes planning, proofreading, and so on and only 15 minutes writing, then you need to hit roughly 30 words per minute. Typing is an important skill for college and your career, so I'd recommend investing some time into it. You could use a site like TypingClub to get started.

Arithmetic: There are only five non-calculator questions on the test, so it's more important to have solid calculator skills than paper-and-pencil arithmetic skills. The non-calculator questions include roots and exponents, non-perfect squares, number line problems, and questions about knowing that when you divide by zero, it's undefined.

Prep guides: We have used the Kaplan GED book for some time and have been happy with it. There are a lot of other books out there, but I haven't had much experience with them.