Chapter 2

What's on the Mathematical Reasoning Test?

In This Chapter

Identifying the skills you need for the Math test

Getting a handle on the test format

Preparing for the test using a few tried-and-true strategies

Getting familiar with the calculator and formula sheet

Doing a little math to help manage your time on the test

The Mathematical Reasoning test gauges your understanding of mathematical concepts and your ability to apply them to situations you may find in the real world. To prepare for the test, you need to know what's on it, familiarize yourself with the different question formats, and shift your brain into mathematical problem-solving mode. This chapter gets you started by revealing what's on the Mathematical Reasoning test and providing some tips and tricks for tackling the different types of questions you'll encounter.

Looking at the Skills the Math Test Covers

To do well on the Math test, you need to have a general understanding of numbers, their relationships to one another, measurements, geometry, data analysis and statistics, probability, patterns, functions, and algebra. (To find out more about these terms and concepts, turn to the chapters in Part II.) In essence, to be successful on this test, you need to have the mathematical knowledge base that most high-school graduates have, and you need to know how to apply it to solve real-life problems.

The GED Math test provides a formula sheet for you to use during the test. Keep in mind that you may not need all the formulas provided, and you may not need a formula for every question. Part of the fun of math is knowing which formula to use for which problems and figuring out when you don't need one at all.

The Math test assesses four areas: number operations and number sense; measurement and geometry; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra, functions, and patterns. The following sections describe these areas in greater detail.

The formulas you memorized and understand are instantly available to you. The formulas you have to look up and ponder take time that could be used answering questions or checking answers.

Number operations and number sense

Surprise, surprise - these problems deal with numbers. Here's a breakdown of the two topics in this category:

• Number operations are the familiar actions you take in math problems and equations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You probably mastered these operations in grade school; now all you have to do is practice them.
• Number sense is the ability to understand numbers. You're expected to be able to recognize numbers (not a difficult task), know their relative values (that 5 is larger than 3, for example), and know how to use them (which takes us back to number operations). In addition, number sense includes the ability to estimate (or approximate) the result of number operations - which is always a handy skill on a timed test.

For more about operations and number sense, head to Chapters 5 and 6.

Measurement and geometry

Here, you get a chance to play with mathematical shapes and manipulate them in your head. You get to use the Pythagorean relationship (or theorem) to do all sorts of interesting calculations, and you get to use measurements to do things like find the volume of ice cream in a cone or the amount of paint you need to cover a wall. If you relax, you can have fun with these questions and then maybe even use a lot of the knowledge in real life. This category breaks down into two topics:

• Measurement involves area, volume, time, and the distance from here to there. Measurement of time is a good thing to know when taking any test because you want to make sure you run out of questions before you run out of time!
• Geometry is the part of mathematics that deals with measurement. It also deals with relationships and properties of points, lines, angles, and planes. This branch of math requires you to draw, use, and understand diagrams.

To find out more about solving measurement problems, check out Chapter 7.

Data analysis, statistics, and probability

If you pay attention and practice the concepts in this category, you'll be able to think more clearly about the next political poll that shows that every representative of the party sponsoring the poll is good and all others are evil. This category breaks down into the following types:

• Data analysis allows you to analyze data. You probably already practice this skill without realizing it. When you read about stock performance or lack of performance, calculate or read about baseball statistics, or figure out how many miles per gallon your car gets, you're doing data analysis.
• Statistics and probability are part of data analysis. Statistics is the interpretation of collections of random numbers and can be used to prove one thing or another; probability tells you how often an event is likely to happen.

See Chapter 7 for guidance on how to solve math problems related to data analysis, statistics, and probability.

Algebra, functions, and patterns

You most likely use these concepts in everyday life, although you may not realize that you do. Here's a breakdown of the three types in this category:

• Algebra is a form of mathematics used to solve problems by using letters to represent unknown numbers, creating equations from the information given, and solving for the unknown numbers - thus, turning them into known numbers. If you ever said something like, "How much more does the $10 scarf cost than the $7.50 one?" you were really solving this equation: Let the difference in cost be x, .
• Functions are part of mathematics. They involve the concept that one number can be determined by its relationship with another. A dozen always consists of 12 units, for example. If you were buying two dozen eggs, you'd be buying eggs.
• Patterns are the predictable repeat of a situation. For example, if someone told you the first four numbers in a pattern were 1, 2, 3, and 4 and asked you what the next number was, you'd say "5" pretty fast. This simple pattern involves adding 1 to each number to get the next one. Patterns on the test are more complicated than this one, but, if you keep your wits about you, you can figure out how to solve them.

For additional information and guidance on solving problems related to algebra, functions, and patterns, see Chapter 8.

Warming Up to the Test Format

The Mathematical Reasoning test is 115 minutes long and consists of four different question formats, including multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, and hot-spot items. In the sections that follow, we describe these question types in detail and provide sample questions to make you more familiar with each question type. For more about responding to GED test questions on a computer, check out GED Test For Dummies, 3rd Edition (Wiley), which covers the topic in some detail.

To get ready for the Math test, relax and realize that math is your friend - perhaps not a lifetime friend but a friend at least until you finish the test. You also need to consider that you've been using math all your life without ever realizing it. When you tell a friend that you'll be over in 20 minutes, for example, you use math. When you see a sale sign in the store and mentally figure out whether you can afford the sale-priced item, you use math. When you complain about the poor mileage your car gets (and can prove it), you use math. You already know more math than you thought, and we show you the rest in this chapter.

Answering multiple-choice and drag-and-drop questions

The multiple-choice questions on the Math test are pretty straightforward. You're given some information or a figure and asked to answer the question based on that info. The question provides four answer choices, and you must select the correct answer. Here are a couple examples of multiple-choice questions.

Because you're not penalized for guessing, if you don't know the answer to a multiple-choice or drag-and-drop question, go ahead and guess, but don't make a wild guess. To improve your chances of guessing the correct answer, try to eliminate as many obviously wrong answers as possible before guessing. If you can eliminate two of the four answer choices, you have a 50/50 chance of guessing correctly. With a wild guess, your chances are only one in four, or 25 percent.

Milton wanted to be taller than his father, who was 2 yards tall. Milton was 5 feet 10 inches tall even when he stretched. How much taller would Milton have to grow to be taller than his father by at least an inch?

(A) 1 inch

(B) 2 inches

(C) 3 inches

(D) 4 inches

The first thing you have to do with questions like this one is make sure all measurements are in the same format. Two yards equals 6 feet (1 yard equals 3 feet). So Milton is 2 inches shorter than his father. The question asks how much he would have to grow to be at least 1 inch taller than his father. If he were to grow 3 inches, he would have reached...