Working with Grid Formats

Why Use Grid Formats?

You may wonder why the GED Mathematics Test has students generate answers and fill in grids.

Think about it. In real life, a person is rarely asked to solve a problem by selecting one of five multiple-choice answers. When you go to the store to purchase carpet for a room in your house, you are not asked to select a possible square footage of the room. It is up to you to provide the correct footage so the salesperson can help you complete the purchase.

To more closely simulate real-life problem solving, twenty percent (20%) of the questions on the Math Test will require the student to generate an answer to a problem and record that answer on a grid format.

If this is cause for concern for your students, give them this advice:

• On Part I, which has most of the grids, they can use a calculator to check their answers.
• On Parts I and II, they should use their estimation skills and common sense to see that the answers make sense.

As you help students prepare for the GED Mathematics Test, you will want to take some time to talk about strategies for using grid formats.

Read the information about test-taking strategies. You may wish to print this list for your students.