GED(R) Math Test Tutor, for the 2014 GED(R) Test: For the New 2014 Ged Test (GED Math Test Tutor) - Softcover

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Sandra Rush earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Temple University in Philadelphia. While an undergraduate student, she served as a math tutor for members of the basketball team as well as for local public school students. In these early years of her own higher education, she realized that teaching mathematics had a special appeal.

She has taught mathematics and physics from the junior high school to university levels in three states. Sandra has also continued her side career of tutoring and coaching students at all levels. Her one-on- one approach with young adults has yielded excellent results.

Sandra’s interest in education has extended beyond the classroom to the field of publishing, including writing and editing manuals on preparation for standardized tests at all levels. This book is the latest of her efforts to make mathematics both understandable and enjoyable for generations of students.

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GED® MATH TEST TUTOR

100% ALIGNED for the 2014 GED® Test

It’s like having your own tutor…

Every year, test-takers report that the math test is the toughest of all the GED® tests. That’s why REA offers the most complete guide to success on the new GED® Math test. Let our expert math tutor help you get one step closer to your GED® diploma!

GED® Test tutor Sandra Rush gives you all the tools you need to succeed:

- Refresh your knowledge on all things math – from Polynomials and Powers to Statistics and Equations, Fractions, Decimals, and Scientific Notation

- Know your way around the TI-30XS MultiView™ calculator – you’ll be a power-user in no time
- Helpful hints throughout – including secrets of rounding off, calculating with fractions, quickly knowing the difference between domain and range, a neat way to remember negative and absolute values, and much more

- 2 Full-Length Practice Tests mimic the real GED® Math test – preview all the new question types

You’ll be confident on test day after you discover how the test works!

Learn from an Expert
Sandra Rush, M.A., is a math tutor who has taught mathematics and physics from junior high school through university level, in three states. She takes great pride in her success in working with students who are looking to earn their high school equivalency diploma. She is an acclaimed writer and editor. This book is her latest effort to provide students with a practical application and knowledge of real-world math.

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About the Next-Generation GED® Math Test

This introductory chapter is as important as any of the following chapters. The subject review chapters will show you what you need to know about mathematics for the GED® test, but if you don’t know how to take the test and what to expect, you may not be successful, even if you understand the math. To be successful with the GED® Mathematical Reasoning test, it is essential that you know three skill sets: math skills, calculator skills, and some computer skills.

How This Book Can Help

For all three skill sets, practice, practice, practice will pay off. This book helps with the mathematical reasoning skills, so read the book carefully and be sure you understand each section before you advance to the next. Numerous examples will give you the practice and confidence you need to do well. To paraphrase the GED® Testing Service, it’s not just about knowing how, but rather why!

Remembering isn’t the same as memorizing. This book is designed to help you remember facts that you need without having to memorize. Each mathematical topic is introduced, accompanied by several example questions with answers and explanations that are designed as further teaching aids to help you remember what has been presented.

Exercises at the end of each chapter allow you to assess how well you understood the concepts introduced in the chapter. These exercises are presented in GED® test formats so you can get used to how questions will be presented on the actual test. Answers and explanations for those answers appear after the exercises.

You probably have heard the saying “We learn from our mistakes.” If you do make a mistake on any of the exercises, use that as a further learning experience and don’t be discouraged. If you ever locked the key in your car, that was a learning experience (a frustrating one, for sure) and, at least for a while after that, you always made sure you had the key in your hand when you locked the door. So if you choose the wrong answer to an exercise in the book, go to the explanation of the correct answer and learn from it so you won’t make that type of mistake again.

The last half of this chapter presents step-by-step instructions for using the TI-30XS MultiView™ virtual calculator that will be provided on the test. In addition, calculator instructions are given in the chapters for which a certain calculation is relevant.

The final part of the book contains two full-length practice GED® Mathematical Reasoning tests followed by the correct answer choices with explanations. Time yourself (90 minutes) to get a sense of how quickly you must come up with answers. You can go back to any question at any time and you can change your answers if you want to, but you need to do it all within the 90-minute time frame. Admittedly, taking the test on paper is different from taking the test on a computer, but the goal here is to learn the math to answer the problems correctly.

What to Expect on the GED® Mathematical Reasoning Test

The latest version of the GED® math test is called “Mathematical Reasoning.” Previously, the GED® test emphasized mathematical skills, knowing mathematical facts and formulas, and how to perform specific calculations for a problem. As of 2014, the emphasis is on understanding and logical thinking rather than memorization, and it is based on real-world problem-solving skills. The next-generation test expects the test-taker to understand what a problem is asking for and proceed to answer it based on the information given. Use the four-part plan for reasoning skills to answer the questions:

1. Figure out what is known, what is necessary to solve the problem, what information is missing (usually your solution), and what is unnecessary (just because something is mentioned doesn’t mean it has anything to do with your solution).

2. Devise a strategy to solve the problem. This may involve making a sketch or a table (use the erasable note board) or looking for a pattern, for example.

3. Solve the problem according to your strategy and choose or enter the correct answer.

4. Make sure the answer makes sense.

The problems on the 2014 GED® test mimic the real world. Almost everyone is carrying around a calculator—it’s in the form of a cell phone. Almost no one multiplies 63 X 24 on paper, much less in their heads—they all reach for the calculator. Many store clerks don’t count out change anymore, they just give the customer what the register (also a calculator) tells them to.

In addition, with so much knowledge available via the Internet, memorization of many formulas is no longer necessary because people can look them up and avoid “misremembering.” So the GED® Math Reasoning test measures how well you can figure out what is asked for and then apply mathematical skills, whether from your own memory bank or by using the tools that are available on the test, to come up with answers.

The total test time is 90 minutes, but that includes 2 minutes for an introduction and wrap-up, so the actual testing time is only 88 minutes. The test is worth 50 points, but there aren’t necessarily 50 questions. Some questions are worth twice as much as others—that is because they are twice as difficult. Also, one chart, table, or problem scenario may have several questions associated with it. The computer uses a split screen for this type of question. On a split screen, the graphic or scenario stays on the left side of the screen, and the questions appear one by one on the right screen. Fortunately, there is a “Previous” button if any of these questions depend at all on a response to a prior question.

Fifty-five percent of the questions involve algebra, but that doesn’t mean you are just given an equation and asked to solve it. Questions on any of the math subjects on the test (each of which is covered in a chapter of this book) may involve algebraic reasoning. The other 45 percent of the questions are computational.

The scoring on the test is strictly the number of correct answers, with no penalty deducted for wrong answers or bad guesses. Therefore, you should answer every question. Once you have selected an answer to a question, take an extra second or two to make sure it makes sense. As obvious examples, the change you receive from a purchase shouldn’t be more than the money you gave the clerk, or the discounted cost of an item shouldn’t be more than the original price.

Types of Questions

The GED® Math Reasoning test has five types of questions: multiple-choice, drop-down, fill-in-the-blank, hot-spot, and drag-and-drop.

Multiple-Choice Items

The usual multiple-choice questions are a major part of the test, but not all of the questions are multiple-choice. These questions have four answers from which to choose, designated A, B, C, and D. You don’t necessarily have to come up with the correct answer from scratch—you only have to be able identify the correct answer among the four choices. You should be able to eliminate one or more of the answer choices without any calculation if they are obviously wrong (for example, the problem asks for a whole number and one answer choice is a fraction or decimal), or inappropriate (for example, the problem indicates that the answer will be in the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} and the answer choice is 6). To choose an answer, click next to the letter for that choice.

Drop-Down Items
Drop-down items

are a variation of multiple-choice questions. These are responses that are embedded directly in the text, and you click on one of three to five given choices to make the statement true....