Social Studies
GED Social Studies Practice Test 3
Forty new questions weighted toward civics and government, the largest part of the real test. Most are based on a short document: an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers or a Supreme Court decision, or a table, chart or map description. None of these questions appeared in Practice Tests 1 or 2.
Question 1 of 40
0 answered
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” (Declaration of Independence, 1776) According to the excerpt, where does a government’s rightful power come from?
What this test emphasizes
Half of the questions cover civics and government: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism and the Supremacy Clause, the Bill of Rights and later amendments, how a bill becomes law, the courts, and elections. The rest cover U.S. history, economics, and geography, close to the balance of the official test.
Many items quote a founding document or court opinion and ask what it means or how it applies to a new situation. Read the excerpt closely. The answer usually turns on one phrase, such as “consent of the governed” or “two thirds of the Senators present.”
Using your Test 3 results
Scores map to the 100 to 200 GED scale, where 145 passes. Compare this result with your scores on Tests 1 and 2 to see whether you are improving and which content area still costs you points.
If you miss questions that include numbers, such as vote counts, electoral votes, or ratification totals, slow down and do the arithmetic. Several questions here hinge on a two-thirds or three-fourths threshold.
Frequently asked questions
- Are the questions in Practice Test 3 new?
- Yes. Every question in Test 3 is new and does not appear in Practice Test 1 or Practice Test 2.
- Why does Test 3 have so many civics questions?
- Civics and government makes up about half of the real GED Social Studies test, so Test 3 gives it the same weight.
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