TEST FIVE: MATHEMATICS

TEST FIVE: MATHEMATICS


The GED Mathematics Test measures the ability to
solve--or find the best method to solve--mathematics problems
typical of those studied in high school mathematics courses.
Subject matter for the GED Mathematics Test questions is drawn
from three areas:

* Arithmetic

measurement
numeration
data analysis

* Algebra

* Geometry


Directions and Sample Questions for Mathematics


Choose the one best answer to each item.


1. If 10% of a town's population of 10,000 people moved away,
how many people remained in the town?


(1) 100

(2) 900

(3) 1000

(4) 9000

(5) 9900


Correct Answer:. 4
Difficulty Level: Moderately Difficult


This is an example of a question involving computations
with percentages. Like most of the questions in the Mathematics
Test, solving the problem involves more than one step.

Here is one method you could use to solve this problem.
First, you must compute 10% of 10,000. You can probably do this
mentally; if not, you could divide 10,000 by 10 or multiply
10,000 by. 10.

Now you know that 1000 people moved, but notice that the
question asks for the number that remained in the town. So, you
must subtract 1000 from the total population of 10,000 to find
the correct answer of 9000 (option 4).

Item 2 is based on the following graph.



2. The figure above shows how the tax dollar was spent in a
given year. According to the figure, what percent of the
tax dollar was left after direct payment to individuals
and national defense expenses?


(1) 3%

(2) 11%

(3) 33%

(4) 67%

(5) 114%


Correct Answer: 3
Difficulty Level: Easy


About one-third of the questions in the Mathematics Test
will refer to charts, tables, or graphic materials like this
one. This question requires, first, that you understand the
information presented in the pie graph and recognize that the
five categories of spending described in the graph equal 100%.
Next, the phrase "was left" in the question should indicate to
you that the problem requires subtraction. The sum of the 42%
indicated as "Direct Benefit Payments to Individuals" and the
25% indicated as "National Defense," is 67%. Subtracting 67%
from 100% yields a result of 33%. Thus, option (3) is the
correct answer.


3. A part-time job pays $6.75 per hour. Which of the
following expressions best represents an employee's total
earnings if the employee works 2 hours on Monday, 3 hours
on Tuesday, 4 hours on Wednesday, 5 hours on Thursday, and
6 hours on Friday?


(1) 2+3+4+5+6

(2) 10 + 6.75

(3) 10(6.75)

(4) 20 + 6.75

(5) 20(6.75)


Correct Answer: 5
Difficulty Level: Easy


Some questions in the Mathematics Test, like this one, do
not ask for a numerical solution to the problem. Instead, they
ask you to select the best method for setting up the problem to
arrive at a correct solution.

The first step here is to identify exactly what answer is
required. In this case, it is the underlined phrase total
earnings. Next, you must understand that total earnings will be
the product (multiplication) of the hourly rate of $6.75 times
the number of hours worked.

Understanding how total earnings is computed Will make
clear to you that the solution to the problem must include the
number 6.75 multiplied by some other number. The other number
is the sum of 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 (the number of hours worked),
or 20. So, option (5) is the correct answer.

Options (1), (2), and (4) do not indicate multiplication
as a function, while option (3) uses an incorrect number of
hours as a multiplier of the hourly rate.


HOW ARE GED SCORES REPORTED?


Separate scores are reported for each of the five GED
Tests. GED Test results are reported on a standard score scale
ranging from 20 (lowest possible score) to 80 (highest possible
score). Your score on the GED Tests is not the number of
correct answers or the percent correct. The Writing Skills Test
score is a statistical combination of the number of questions
answered correctly on the multiple-choice section with the
score on the essay section (see "How the Essay Section Is
Scored" on page 6). The score for all other tests in the GED
battery is based only on the number of multiple-choice
questions answered correctly.


WHAT SCORE DO I NEED TO PASS?


Passing scores for the GED Tests are established by the
states, provinces, and territories that administer the GED
Testing Program. In general, if you answer 60 percent of the
questions correctly on each test, you will earn a passing
score. Your local GED Testing Center or adult education program
can tell you what the minimum required standard scores are for
your area. Most current requirements are set so that GED
examinees must earn scores higher than those of about 30
percent of today's high school graduates to earn a GED Diploma.

Though the score requirements vary from one jurisdiction
to another, most requirements are stated in terms of a minimum
score for each test and/or a minimum average score for all five
tests. For example, a common passing standard score required in
any state, province, or territory is 35 on any one test and an
average of 45 on all five tests. If this were the score
requirement in your area, you would need to achieve a standard
score of at least 35 on each of the five tests and a total of
at least 225 for all five tests to achieve an average of 45.