How the GED test is structured

The GED is not one long exam. It is four separate subject tests, each timed and scored on its own. Knowing exactly what each one looks like takes a lot of the uncertainty out of test day. This guide explains how the four tests fit together, how long each one runs, what each one covers, the kinds of questions you will answer on screen, and how to manage your time once the clock starts.

Four separate tests

The four subjects are Mathematical Reasoning, Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Science, and Social Studies. You can schedule them on different days and in any order, and you pass each one independently. Passing one subject is not undone by a low score on another.

Because each test stands alone, many people start with the subject they feel strongest in. An early pass builds confidence and shows you what the testing experience is like before you take on a harder subject.

Separate tests also mean separate preparation. You do not need to be ready in all four subjects at once. You can focus on one subject, take it, and then turn your full attention to the next. How each subject is scored, and what the passing score means, is covered in the GED scores guide on this site.

Time limits by subject

GED Testing Service lists these testing times. Check-in and the tutorial screens add time on top of them, so plan for a longer visit to the testing center.

  • Reasoning Through Language Arts: 150 minutes, including the extended response and a 10-minute break.
  • Mathematical Reasoning: 115 minutes, in two parts with a short break. No calculator on the first part.
  • Science: 90 minutes, no break.
  • Social Studies: 70 minutes, no break.

What each subject covers

Mathematical Reasoning is split between quantitative problem solving (about 45 percent: number operations, data, and geometry) and algebraic problem solving (about 55 percent). See the math study guides for algebra, geometry, and data analysis.

RLA tests reading comprehension, editing for grammar and clarity, and writing. Reading passages are mostly nonfiction, with a smaller share of literature.

Science covers life science, physical science, and earth and space science, with an emphasis on reading charts, experiments, and passages rather than recalling facts.

Social Studies is about half civics and government, with the rest divided among U.S. history, economics, and geography.

Notice what these descriptions have in common. Outside of math, the GED tests reasoning more than memory. A Science question usually gives you the data, and a Social Studies question usually gives you the document. Your job is to read it carefully and draw a conclusion it supports. That is good news if you have been out of school for years, because the skills can be practiced directly instead of crammed.

Question types on screen

The GED is taken on a computer, and not every question is plain multiple choice. You may see drop-down menus inside a sentence, drag-and-drop items where you move answers into place, hot spots where you click a point on a graph or image, and fill-in-the-blank questions where you type a number or word. RLA includes a written extended response.

The practice questions on this site are multiple choice, but the knowledge being tested is the same. GED Testing Service offers a free computer-based tutorial at ged.com that shows the other formats, and it is worth a few minutes before test day.

Each format rewards a slightly different habit. With a drop-down inside a sentence, read the whole sentence with each option in place before you choose, because the right choice has to fit both what comes before it and what comes after. With drag-and-drop, place the items you are sure of first, then reason about the rest from what is left. With a hot spot, click the exact point the question describes, not just a spot nearby. With fill-in-the-blank, there are no choices to check against, so estimate first and compare your typed answer to the estimate.

  • Multiple choice: one correct option out of four.
  • Drop-down: choose the word, phrase, or value that completes a sentence or equation.
  • Drag-and-drop: move labels, steps, or values into the correct places.
  • Hot spot: click a location on a graph, map, diagram, or number line.
  • Fill-in-the-blank: type a number or short answer yourself.
  • Extended response (RLA): a typed essay that analyzes two passages.

Worked example

A fill-in-the-blank math question asks: “A store sells 3 notebooks for $4.50. At that rate, what is the cost, in dollars, of 8 notebooks?”

  1. Estimate first: one notebook costs a bit under $2, so 8 notebooks should cost a bit under $16.
  2. Find the unit price: $4.50 ÷ 3 = $1.50 per notebook.
  3. Multiply: 8 × $1.50 = $12.00.
  4. Compare with the estimate: $12 is under $16 and reasonable.
  5. Type only what the question asks for. It already says “in dollars,” so enter 12 or 12.00 without a dollar sign, unless the instructions on screen say otherwise.

Managing your time once the clock starts

Each subject is timed as a whole, so no single question has its own limit. That gives you freedom, but it also means one hard question can quietly eat several minutes. A simple rule helps: if you have read a question twice and still do not know how to start, make your best guess, flag it for review, and move on. You can return to flagged questions before you end the section. Every question you answer later is worth the same as the one you skipped.

Check the clock at the halfway point. On Social Studies, for example, 70 minutes means you should be about halfway through the questions at roughly the 35-minute mark. If you are well behind, speed up on the questions you find easy rather than rushing the hard ones. On RLA, decide in advance how you will split your time between the reading and editing questions and the extended response, so the essay is not squeezed at the end. The RLA Extended Response guide on this site explains how to plan that essay.

Answer every question. A blank answer cannot earn points, and a careful guess after ruling out one or two choices often can. Use any time left at the end to check the questions you marked, starting with the ones where you were closest to an answer.

Rules that vary by state

Fees, minimum age, residency requirements, retake rules, and whether online testing is available all depend on where you test. Before you schedule, check the rules for your state on ged.com. This site covers the content of the test, not the policies of any particular state.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to take all four GED subjects on the same day?
No. Each subject is a separate test that you can schedule on its own day and in any order.
Which GED test is the longest?
Reasoning Through Language Arts, at 150 minutes including the extended response and a break.
Is the GED all multiple choice?
No. It also uses drop-down, drag-and-drop, hot spot, and fill-in-the-blank items, and RLA includes a written extended response.
Should I guess if I do not know an answer?
Yes. A blank answer earns nothing, so rule out any choices you can, pick the best of what remains, and move on so you have time for the rest of the test.