Anticipate the Unexpected at your GED Test®
Prepare your students to anticipate the unexpected at their GED® tests. Sometimes the unexpected happens on the day of a student’s GED Test® or even at the exam itself. These unforeseen events can upset a person and even undermine the student’s confidence, but if you have prepared them for any of the potential variations of what should be normal, they should be able to take it in their stride.
Unexpected Topics in the Exam
The GED® does not test rote memory or knowledge of prescribed content the way traditional exams do. In contrast, the GED tests have been updated to meet the requirements of both 21st century universities as well as employers in the modern marketplace. Instead of memorisation skills they require effective reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Students must demonstrate the ability to figure out the correct answers from information that is provided and then select the right answer from the multiple choice options provided.
It is therefore quite normal to be presented with new topics on the GED tests – topics that are not covered in the GED prep material. For example Mrs B. wrote:
“I remember when my daughter wrote Science in 2020, she was surprised there was a question about one of the respiratory systems which the online GED prep course didn’t cover… fortunately for her, she knew the answer. Her friend said that she had a question that was about another system…my younger child hasn’t covered this in her GED prep… Is there anything like that?”
This is normal. Yes! It is highly likely that students will encounter questions on topics that are new to them in each subject. This shouldn’t undermine their confidence or lead them to think they they are unprepared or under-prepared for their GED Test®. If they have completed the online GED study programme that we offer and they have achieved high scores on the practice tests, they should have developed all the skills they need to succeed!
Prepare them for that situation…For example, they might do practice lessons about the kidneys, in the Science course (random example), but on the test there might be a diagram or text about the liver! A well-prepared student should have developed the SKILLS to reason and think about the information that is provided (in the text, diagram, graph, map or chart) and then use it to find, figure out or even calculate the correct answer.
With every question, there is only one correct answer and it is provided in the multi-choice. They must remain calm, read carefully, use their reasoning and thinking skills and then choose the correct answer.
They shouldn’t feel stressed, flustered or think that they didn’t prepare adequately, if that happens. Remind them to stay focused, reread the question and then examine whatever information is given to find the answer.
The GED Test® is Standardised and Reliable
On the rare occasion when students don’t achieve good scores on the tests, they often blame the test. They tell their parents or tutors that there were questions that they couldn’t answer because the topic wasn’t covered in the study programme. As you can tell from the information above, this is not a legitimate excuse.
They might have mismanaged their time. They might have misread or misinterpretted a question or they might not have prepared sufficiently and they simply lacked the skills to select the correct answers from the multiple choice options.
The GED® is a standardised test and the same battery of tests has been in use since 2014. It is marked by computer so there is no room for human error. The test is very “reliable” and secure. It does not change from year to year. If a student didn’t score well, it’s because of his or her poor performance and skills, not the TEST and not the STUDY PROGRAMME. As you can see from our many happy customer reviews in both South Africa and New Zealand, the study programme works!
It is possible to pay for a test to be remarked, but considering that the tests are multiple-choice and are marked by a computer programme, there is little chance that the test score will change. Instead, we recommend studying again and retaking the test in a few weeks time. The lesson in perseverance is well worth it.
As the saying goes, “Winners never quit and quitters never win!”
Power Cuts
It’s stressful to get to an exam and find it delayed, for example, or interrupted because of a power cut.
These “out of the blue” things are beyond our control, but we need to be mentally prepared so that they don’t “rattle” us and stress us out if they happen.
Usually if a power cut is expected, the test centre will contact you to reschedule your exam in advance. If however, you arrive on the day and there is an unplanned problem, you can ask to reschedule the test. If there is a power cut during the test, you need to make arrangements to be able to take the test again. Instances when this has happened have been very few and in all of them, the GED Testing Service® has been most accommodating of students.
You don’t need to stress that they are going to do you in. Don’t get angry or panic. Just stay calm, be polite with the staff at the test centre, get all the information you can and if necessary you can contact the GED Testing Service® in the USA if there is a problem that can’t be resolved at a local level.
Perseverance in the face of challenges is a valuable life lesson. Sometimes we’d prefer the comfort of everything going smoothly, rather than these hard lessons, but they build character. Expect the unexpected at your GED Test and you might be pleasantly surprised when it all goes off uneventfully!