Guessing on the GED Test
Strange Advice for Taking the GED Test: Guess Wisely
I never thought I would ever advise someone to guess on a test. But for the GED test, it makes perfect sense. You aren’t penalized for guessing on the GED test. So if you aren’t sure about an answer, guess wisely. It couldn’t hurt.
I realized this when reading test taking strategies for the GED. It’s a wonderful, helpful article. You should read it. It’s three main points are these for the GED test:
- Budget your time.
- Guess wisely.
- Leave time for review.
How do you guess wisely on the GED test?
The GED test has multiple choice questions. Your normally have five choices to choose from. So totally guessing gives you a 1 chance in 5 of being correct. If you know one of the five choices is totally wrong, exclude it. Now if you guess, you have a 1 in 4 chance of success, better odds.
Frankly, studying for the GED is a whole lot better than guessing. But sometimes, even with study, you still need to guess. Here’s some practice for you.
Which of these 5 statements most accurately describes Abraham Lincoln.
a) He was a tall skinny man.
b) He was a highly educated man who attended the first college established in Springfield, IL during the late 1830′s.
c) Lincoln attended school for no more than a year, was almost totally self taught, and rose from poverty to be elected President in 1860.
d) Abe Lincoln was a boatman travelling down the Mississippi as a young man long before he became a lawyer in Illinois.
e) Lincoln attended school for no more than a year, became a lawyer in Illinois, and rose from poverty to be elected President in 1860.
Eliminate a. Obviously, the short sentence doesn’t “most accurately” describe Lincoln.
Eliminate b. Although the sentence sounds good, it doesn’t refer to Lincoln as a President. It’s not fully accurate. (And, Lincoln never attended college. But you probably didn’t know that.)
Eliminate d. You probably don’t know if the young Lincoln was a boatman on the Mississippi (he was). But choice d) says nothing about Lincoln being President. It’s not as accurate as it could be.
So now you’re guessing between c) and e) . You have a 50/50 chance of getting the question correct. That’s better than a random guess of 1 out of 5.
That’s an example of guessing wisely.
Your best choice would be e) . Why? Option c) describes Lincoln as self taught. Option e) indicates Lincoln was a lawyer. In terms “most accurately” describing Lincoln. His profession as a lawyer is more descriptive of the man than saying he was self taught.
When taking the GED test, Guess Wisely
Most people need to guess at least a little on any test. On a test that doesn’t penalize for a wrong answer like the GED, it’s important to learn how to guess wisely.
