What is the GED?
The GED is an exam for adults who want to earn a high school equivalency diploma. Only adults that did not obtain a high school diploma are eligible to earn an equivalency diploma.

Although it is an American credential, the high school equivalency diploma obtained by passing the GED exam is a recognized credential throughout the world and allows students to apply for many universities in Dubai.

Who makes the GED?
The American Council on Education makes the GED. The diploma for students taking the GED exam in Dubai is awarded through the Maine Department of Education in the United States.

What's on the GED?
Most of the GED exam is multiple choice. It consists of the following five tests:

* Language Arts, Writing: This test is divided into two sections: Part I and Part II. Part I is multiple choice and tests organization, sentence structure, usage, and mechanics according to American English conventions. Part II is a written essay.
* Social Studies: This multiple choice test includes passages and questions about history, geography, civics and government, and economics.
* Science: This multiple choice exam tests your ability to understand and analyze passages and questions related to physical science, life science, and earth and space science.
* Language Arts, Reading: This multiple choice tests requires you to understand and analyze literary texts (poems, short stories, and plays) and nonfiction texts (essays, critical reviews, and professional documents).
* Mathematics: The math test is divided into two parts: you may use a calculator on Part I but you may not use a calculator on Part II. This multiple choice test includes arithmetic, geometry, data analysis (statistics, graphs, and probability), and algebra.How is it scored?
Each test on the GED is scored from a 200 to 800.

What is a good score?
Since the GED is pass/fail, a good score on the GED is the one that allows you to pass. To pass the GED, you need to score at 410 on each of the five tests and have an average score higher than 450. You must receive a score of 2 or higher (out of 4) on the essay to pass the Language Arts, Writing test.

What else do I need to know?
For more information about the GED, go to http://www.gedtest.org/. In Dubai, you can register and take the GED at Amideast in Knowledge Village . As of February 2010, the cost to take the GED is AED 2,000, to be paid in cash.

NOTE: The GED is NOT offered online. Any website that says you can take the GED online is not authentic.

How do I prepare for the GED?

The Dubai Tutor works with a lot of students who want to pass the GED exam but don't want to take a long time to do it. Rather than learn everything about each subject, if you work with The Dubai Tutor, you will learn and practice the general concepts tested on each exam and the skill necessary to pass the GED. In addition, The Dubai Tutor will teach you the hidden facts the exam expects you to know such as the U.S. government structure and rights guranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

Email The Dubai Tutor if you want to pass the GED in less than 2 months!

We've finally come to the end of the series of the top test prep time wasters. In other words, things you don't want to do when preparing for your test. Here are the top 2:

Top Test Prep Time Waster #2: Focusing Only on Weaknesses

"If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that's another weakness." Jack Handy, Saturday Night Live

Trying to improve your weaknesses is necessary to get a good score on any standardized tests. Unfortunately, focusing only on weaknesses is more likely to limit your score improvement and not get the score you need. When you work hard only on math, for example, you math score improves but your verbal score remains roughly the same. Over time, you will have a lot of improvement in math but your verbal score may begin to decrease because you are not practicing verbal or are slowly forgetting score improving concepts. I began alternating math and verbal classes in my courses because students often performed well on practice tests only in the subject I had just taught. To maximize your score, vary your preparation and don't forget what you've learned!

And here is...Top Test Prep Time Waster #1: Taking but NOT Reviewing Practice Tests

Taking practice tests helps build your test-taking stamina and ease test day anxiety. Stable emotions on test day translate to higher scores.

You can get much more benefit, though, from the practice tests you take. If you review your mistakes on practice tests, you can from them and boost your score. Here's how you should review:

1. Don't review immediately. Take a day to relax after you take the test. You mind needs time to rejuvenate so that when you review the previous day's test, you reap the maximum benefit.
2. Correct your test with the short answers only. For example, if you marked B, find out what the correct answer was (ex. A.).
3. Figure out why your answer was wrong and why the correct answer is right. Often, this involves reworking the entire question. Be sure to use process of elimination to identify why answers are incorrect and find support for the correct answer in the reading passage, listening exercise, or concept review.
4. If you are unable to figure out the correct answer on your own, read through the correct answer explanation. Rework the problem using the explanation as a guide. Rather than just hoping to understand the explanation, continue to work through the problem yourself until you understand the concept. True understanding means you can apply what you have learned to a similar problem.

Don't waste your time preparing for the exam the wrong way. Email the Dubai Tutor and get started studying today!

If you've read my post titled "WARNING: Studying Vocabulary is a Waste of Time," you know I'm against excessive study of vocabulary words and lists just before a standardized test like the SAT or GMAT for several reasons:

1. There are more than 750,000 words in the English language according to AskOxford.com.
2. Vocabulary is not directly tested on the SAT, GMAT, IELTS, and TOEFL.
3. You have more important things to do with your time, such as understanding the different components of the tests and practicing.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. If you fall into one of the following categories, you should take a look at some vocabulary lists:

* You're taking the GRE. The analogy and antonym questions on the GRE, about one-half of the verbal section, are direct tests of vocabulary. If you do not have a wide vocabulary, it is very difficult to do well on the verbal section of the GRE. In addition to studying word lists, learn about Greek and Latin word roots as well as prefixes and suffixes.

* You have more than 8 weeks to study the SAT, GMAT, etc. If you have a lot of time to study for your test, it won't hurt to memorize about 10 words a week. However, be sure to focus your preparation on the test and NOT on vocabulary.

If you should study vocabulary as part of your test preparation, here are some resources to get you started:

* How to Expand Your Vocabulary: Great tutorial that includes tips on memorizing words, word lists, and summary of roots and prefixes.
* GRE Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes List: This website will help you decode the antonym and analogy questions on the GRE.
* SAT Word List: Only about 90 words included but if you learn these, you should be able to figure out the definitions of words like them.
* SAT Word Parts List: Learn the word parts as well as word definitions to boost your vocabulary.
* Extensive Vocabulary List: Print and make into flashcards for the SAT, GMAT, or GRE.
* Online TOEFL Vocabulary Tests: Use these 120 online tests to help build your vocabulary. Click the links in the Select Word by Meaning and Select Meaning by Word to begin. Be sure to make flashcards from any questions you get wrong.

The strategies I stress to all of my students is that is more important to know how to get the general meaning of the word in the context of the sentence and how to answer the question even if you cannot figure out what 1 word means. These strategies will help you much more than memorizing the definitions of words.