For Dummies - GED Science for Dummies

GED Science Test For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2015946684

ISBN 978-1-119-02988-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-02985-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-02986-1 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Youve decided to take the General Education Development (GED) test to earn the equivalent of a high school diploma. Congratulations! Youre about to clear a major hurdle standing between you and your educational and professional goals. But now you realize that you need extra guidance in reading, writing, and reasoning to tackle the GED Science test. Perhaps you took the test once or even twice and didnt do so well. Perhaps youve done an honest self-assessment and now realize that science was never your favorite or best subject. Whatever the reason, you need to quickly review the essentials and practice answering questions like those youll encounter on the test. You want to know what to expect, so youre not blindsided on test day.

Welcome to GED Science Test For Dummies your key to excelling on the GED Science test. Here, you find everything you need to do well on the test, from guidance on how to improve reading speed and comprehension to whirlwind tours of biology, physics, chemistry, ecology, earth science, and astronomy that get you up to speed on the basics. You also find out how to write top-notch short response essays. Along the way, you find plenty of practice questions to reinforce your newly acquired knowledge and skills.

As we were writing GED Test For Dummies, 3rd edition (Wiley), we didnt have the space to cover all four sections of the GED test in great detail. In that book, we provided a general overview of the GED test and two full-length practice tests that covered all four sections Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematical Reasoning, Science, and Social Studies.

Knowing that each section of the GED test can be taken separately and that test-takers probably need more guidance in some subject areas than in others, we decided to develop a separate book for each section four books, each with a balance of instruction and practice. In this book, GED Science Test For Dummies, we focus exclusively on the GED Science test. Our goal is twofold: to prepare you to answer correctly any science question youre likely to encounter on the test, so that youll receive a high score, and to help you do well on the short response questions.

We begin by giving you a sneak peek at the test format and an overview of whats on the GED Science test. We then provide a diagnostic test that presents you with science questions that challenge your reading and reasoning knowledge and skills and identify your unique strengths and weaknesses. The diagnostic test and answer explanations following the test guide you to specific skills and knowledge areas where you may need to focus your test-prep activities. When you feel ready, you can then tackle the full-length practice test in for answers and explanations. Check the answers even for questions you answered correctly because the answers provide additional insight.

We wrap up with two Part of Tens chapters one that presents ten performance-enhancing tips and another that highlights ten science facts and concepts youre likely to bump into on the test.

When we wrote this book, we made a few assumptions about you, dear reader. Heres who we think you are:

• Youre serious about earning your GED as soon as possible.
• Youre looking for additional instruction and guidance, specifically to improve your score on the GED Science test, not the Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Mathematical Reasoning, or Social Studies tests. We have a separate book for each of those tests when youre ready to tackle them.
• Youve made earning your GED a priority in your life because you want to advance in the workplace or pursue higher learning that requires a GED or high school diploma.
• Youre willing to give up some activities so you have the time to prepare, always keeping in mind your other responsibilities.
• You meet your states requirements regarding age, residency, and the length of time since leaving school that make you eligible to take the GED test. (See for details.)