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Tap an answer to see if you are right, and why. 20 questions across 11 topics, mostly Quantitative problem solving (4).
The real test
Four subject tests (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies) · each scored 100–200 · 145 to pass each.
Four subject tests · 145 of 200 to pass each
Quantitative problem solving1 of 20
The answer
Answer: A. Fractions need a common denominator before they are added. The least common denominator of 4 and 6 is 12, so 3/4 becomes 9/12 and 5/6 becomes 10/12. Adding gives 19/12, which is 19/12 as an improper fraction or 1 7/12. Adding the numerators and the denominators separately, as in 8/10, is the usual mistake.
Source: GED Math — Quantitative: adding fractions
Algebraic problem solving2 of 20
The answer
Answer: B. Use the distributive property first: 3(2x − 5) = 6x − 15. Then combine like terms, 6x + 4x = 10x, which leaves 10x − 15. Forgetting to multiply the −5 by 3 gives 10x − 5, and leaving out the 4x gives 6x − 15. Only terms with the same variable part can be combined.
Source: GED Math — Algebraic: simplifying expressions
Life science3 of 20
The answer
Answer: C. Mitochondria carry out cellular respiration, the process that breaks down glucose in the presence of oxygen and captures the energy as ATP. That is why cells with high energy needs, such as muscle cells, contain many of them. Ribosomes build proteins, the cell wall gives plant cells structure, and the nucleus stores the genetic instructions.
Source: GED Science — Life Science: cell structures
Physical science4 of 20
The answer
Answer: D. Protons carry a positive charge and sit in the nucleus along with neutrons, which have no charge. Electrons are negatively charged and move around the nucleus. The number of protons is the atomic number, and it defines which element the atom is. A photon is a particle of light, not part of an atom's structure.
Source: GED Science — Physical Science: atomic structure
Earth and space science5 of 20
The answer
Answer: A. Earth's outer shell is broken into plates that move slowly over the mantle. Where they collide, pull apart or slide past each other, they build mountains, open ocean basins, and cause earthquakes and volcanoes. Seasons come from Earth's tilt, Moon phases from its orbit, and the water cycle from evaporation and precipitation.
Source: GED Science — Earth and Space Science: plate tectonics
Civics and government6 of 20
The answer
Answer: B. These words are the Preamble to the Constitution, written in 1787. It states the purposes of the new government, including establishing justice, ensuring domestic peace and securing liberty. The Declaration of Independence of 1776 begins with a statement of why the colonies were separating from Britain, and the Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments added in 1791.
Source: GED Social Studies — Civics and Government: founding documents
US history7 of 20
The answer
Answer: C. The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, after fighting had already begun at Lexington and Concord in 1775. The year 1492 is when Columbus reached the Americas, 1812 is the start of a second war with Britain, and 1865 is the end of the Civil War.
Source: GED Social Studies — United States History: the Revolution
Economics8 of 20
The answer
Answer: D. Scarcity exists because people's wants are unlimited while resources such as time, money, land and labor are limited. It forces individuals, businesses and governments to make choices. A surplus is the opposite situation, with more goods than buyers, and a tax is a payment to the government.
Source: GED Social Studies — Economics: scarcity and choice
Geography and the world9 of 20
The answer
Answer: A. Latitude lines run east to west around the globe and measure how far a place is north or south of the equator, which is 0 degrees. Longitude measures east or west of the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England. Elevation, not latitude, tells how high a place is above sea level.
Source: GED Social Studies — Geography and the World: latitude and longitude
Close reading10 of 20
The answer
Answer: B. The main idea is the point that the whole passage supports. Both sentences describe neighbors saving and returning books after disasters, so the passage is about community effort keeping the library going. The floods and fire are details that set up the neighbors' response, and the passage says nothing about the size of the collection.
Source: GED RLA — Reading: main idea
Editing and conventions11 of 20
The answer
Answer: C. A comma belongs after an introductory clause, so "After the rain stopped," is followed by a comma before the main clause. The other choices place the comma in the middle of the main clause or use a semicolon where the first part is not a complete sentence.
Source: GED RLA — Language: commas after introductory clauses
Quantitative problem solving12 of 20
The answer
Answer: D. A unit rate divides the total distance by the amount used: 360 ÷ 12 = 30 miles for each gallon. Multiplying 30 by 12 returns 360, which confirms it. Subtracting the numbers, 360 − 12 = 348, is the wrong operation for a rate, and dividing the other way would give gallons per mile instead.
Source: GED Math — Quantitative: unit rates
Quantitative problem solving13 of 20
The answer
Answer: A. Percent means per hundred, so 15% is 0.15. Multiply: 0.15 × 240 = 36. A shortcut is that 10% of 240 is 24 and 5% is half of that, 12, and 24 + 12 = 36. Answers such as 24 come from stopping at 10%, and 360 is 150% of 240.
Source: GED Math — Quantitative: percent of a number
Quantitative problem solving14 of 20
The answer
Answer: B. The Pythagorean theorem says a² + b² = c². Here 9² + 12² = 81 + 144 = 225, and the square root of 225 is 15. Adding the legs gives 21, but the hypotenuse is always shorter than that sum. Stopping at 225 forgets to take the square root.
Source: GED Math — Quantitative: Pythagorean theorem
Algebraic problem solving15 of 20
The answer
Answer: C. Undo the subtraction by adding 7 to both sides: 3x = 27. Then divide both sides by 3 to get x = 9. Substituting back, 3 × 9 − 7 = 20, which checks. Subtracting 7 instead of adding it gives 13/3, and stopping before the division leaves 27.
Source: GED Math — Algebraic: one-variable equations
Algebraic problem solving16 of 20
The answer
Answer: D. Slope is the change in y divided by the change in x. The change in y is 11 − 3 = 8 and the change in x is 6 − 2 = 4, so the slope is 8 ÷ 4 = 2. Inverting the fraction gives 1/2, and 8 is only the rise without dividing by the run.
Source: GED Math — Algebraic: slope from two points
Algebraic problem solving17 of 20
The answer
Answer: A. Look for two numbers that multiply to 12 and add to 7. Those are 3 and 4, so x² + 7x + 12 = (x + 3)(x + 4). Check with FOIL: x² + 4x + 3x + 12. The pairs (2, 6) and (1, 12) multiply to 12 but add to 8 and 13, and (x − 3)(x − 4) would give −7x.
Source: GED Math — Algebraic: factoring trinomials
Life science18 of 20
The answer
Answer: B. A Punnett square for Tt × Tt gives four equally likely combinations: TT, Tt, Tt and tt. Only tt plants show the recessive short trait, which is 1 out of 4, or 25%. The other 75% carry at least one T and are tall. The 50% answer is the share of offspring that are heterozygous, not short.
Source: GED Science — Life Science: Punnett squares
Physical science19 of 20
The answer
Answer: C. Newton's second law says force = mass × acceleration, so acceleration = force ÷ mass = 20 N ÷ 5 kg = 4 m/s². Multiplying the numbers gives 100, which is not an acceleration, and dividing mass by force gives 0.25, which inverts the formula. Subtraction, 20 − 5 = 15, has no basis in the law.
Source: GED Science — Physical Science: Newton's second law
Civics and government20 of 20
The answer
Answer: D. The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble peacefully and the right to petition the government. The Second Amendment concerns bearing arms, the Fourth through Eighth cover searches and trials, and voting and citizenship rights come from later amendments.
Source: GED Social Studies — Civics and Government: the Bill of Rights
That’s the free set. The full bank has 300.
More original practice questions across the listed topics, a 50-question timed exam simulator, and saved mistake review. Internal QuizCram practice target. The GED test scores each subject from 100 to 200 and you need 145 on all four; that is a scaled score, not a percentage of questions, so it cannot be converted into one. One payment of $14.99, yours forever.