It is common knowledge that you can study GED on your own time and obtain a high school equivalency certificate with a passed GED exam, but not everyone knows which the best GED prep book is. And since the book you choose to guide you through this process can make or break your future plans, doing your due diligence is a must before shopping around for books.
For those who have no time to compare or money to try out each and every GED study guide around, you’ve come to the right place because I’ve read most of them already. GED will give you a solid base for taking an SAT prep course and you will be able to handle SAT prep books easily. The same goes for ACT prep courses and ACT study materials. Read on to learn which I consider the top 5 and a quick guide on how to pick based on your personal learning style and strengths or weaknesses.
4 Considerations when Shopping for GED Books
When you pick a book to help you with your upcoming GED test-taking, it can be really confusing to just go to Amazon and buy one. There are virtually hundreds of GED study guides and practice exams online at any given time. These three considerations should help you filter out books that wouldn’t be helpful to you:
- Personal knowledge – How long since you’ve attended school? If you answered over 2 years, there’s a good chance you’ve forgotten many of the things you learned in school. Stick with books that will cover all subjects comprehensively, and not just as a refresher.
- Learning style – Are you a visual learner? Are you good at memorizing? Different people have different learning styles, which is why it is impossible to pick just 1 GED book for everyone. Some only come with only a GED study guide, while others also come with flashcards, practice tests, practice questions, or both.
- Strengths and weaknesses – Are you good at math, but need work in language arts? Or vice versa? While all GED books include the four subject areas, not all books dig deeper into specific subjects. Fortunately, you can even find a series of GED prep books from a single publisher with each book completely discussing one subject at a time.
- Language – Did you know that the GED exam is available in Spanish? If this is the first time you heard this and your first language is Spanish, the ideal GED prep books for you are those written in Spanish as well.
What are the Best GED Prep Books?
Here are my top 5 recommended GED prep books you should check out:
1. [Overall Best GED Prep Book] Kaplan’s GED Test Prep Plus 2021
Kaplan has been in the study guide business since 1983, so they know quite a lot about how to help students pass the GED.
If you’re looking for a resource material that’s updated for the new year, this GED test prep plus is definitely a MUST-BUY.
This GED test prep plus book is packed with all the content you need for efficient GED preparation.
Aside from the company’s 80+ years of expertise in GED, what makes this Kaplan GED test prep special is the flexible learning resources made available to students. Not only will you receive your review book, but you’ll also be given access to 60 online videos with test taking strategies from educators.
Kaplan literally invented high school GED test preps, since the practice questions, study guide, and other exam materials come from decades worth of real student results and feedback.
This 780-page Kaplan GED test prep can be a standalone GED study guide, or as part of an online Kaplan course. Either way, you can use it to prep at your own pace and still be able to receive sufficient lessons for all main subjects.
Things We Liked | Things We Didn’t Like |
– Made specifically for GED self-study – Includes 1000 practice questions – Comes with two full length practice tests – Awesome “pass the test or get your money back” policy – Guide for writing RLA extended response | – Info-overload is real, and this GED test prep plus from Kaplan will give you a ton of materials for the price of just one book, so pace yourself. |
2. [Best For The Money] McGraw-Hill Education Language Arts Workbook for the GED Test
McGraw Hill Education has been providing study assistance for over 100 years.
It is one of the best organizations that create full length practice tests and prep book for the General Educational Development tests.
McGraw Hill Education publishes numerous books exclusively for the GED.
But if you’re already ready to tackle math, science, and social studies, but still need extra help with Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), then this book is the most appropriate GED preparation handbook for you.
With this 176-page study guide, you’ll receive an outline of the top 25 language topics, a practice exam to help you test your strengths (or weaknesses), detailed explanations of RLA questions included in the exam, extensive examples of the last updated RLA questions types, and everything else you need to know about RLA.
Things We Liked | Things We Didn’t Like |
– Ideal GED preparation for language – Comprehensive review of the language arts section – Includes GED practice test questions – Free Flashcard app works like standard flash cards (covers other subjects too!) | – Doesn’t include math, social studies, and science |
3. [Best For The Super-detailed Lessons] Princeton Review’s 5 Practice Exams for the GED Test
The Princeton Review is considered as one of the best organizations that help students of all ages achieve academic results through tutoring, courses, counseling, and more. Aside from their renowned SAT programs for college admissions, they also have GED preparation books like this “5 Practice for the GED Test” for high school level students.
I consider this one of the best GED prep books for several reasons:
- There are 624 pages of super-detailed lessons covering each of the 4 GED subjects
- This comes with FIVE full length practice tests (most guides only have two)
- Included answer explanations give students a better understanding of the practice test questions.
- Not just a test prep book, this guide also helps you study smarter (and not harder) by learning content mastery techniques that you can definitely use for GED testing.
This prep book may not have 1000 practice questions like Kaplan, but close enough. Princeton Review’s guide has over 830 questions, which I think is more than enough to review every possible question you need to know to pass the exam.
Aside from being one of the best GED study guides in the market, this book also covers topics that may be included in college test admissions. I think this is genius because some people who do take the GED may want to pursue higher education right after. It’s a “hit two birds with one stone” book, which means it may also not be the best book for other people who just want GED test prep exclusively.
Things We Liked | Things We Didn’t Like |
– Best for students brushing up on ALL 4 GED subjects – Easy to read GED guide for self-study – Comes with ready-to-print answer sheets for practice questions – Comprehensive GED study guide (the explanation to answers is a bonus you’ll appreciate) – Review the material at your own pace | – Make sure to get the Second Edition, since the first edition has a lot of outdated content |
4. GED Study Guide 2021 All Subjects
This study guide is the latest among the many best ged prep books this publishing house has released through Amazon. There is very little info you can find about the company (Test Prep Books Publishing), but their wide range of test prep book series (from preschool to college admissions) is pretty impressive. We’ll just focus on the 2021 All Subjects Study preparation for the GED.
The GED handbook is pretty bulky. With 373 pages, you can expect to read everything from test taking strategies that will help you kill the exam, to subject-specific sections like GED math. It is a comprehensive GED resource material, which is perfect for students who have been out of school for a number of years and have just decided to take the GED.
As with popular academic books with 2 practice tests proven to help students achieve better GED scores, this GED Study Guide 2021 also includes 2 full length practice test sheets. Take advantage of them – they will be useful for timing yourself and pinpointing the areas that need more reviewing.
Aside from the GED exam topics, this book also introduces you to some of the best test-taking advice from educators.
Things We Liked | Things We Didn’t Like |
– Includes GED practice questions – Best test preparation book for students who have been out of school for years – In-depth review of 4 major GED exam subjects | – Isn’t from a world-renowned publishing house |
5. GED Study Guide 2020-2021 All Subjects
Accepted, Inc. is a USA-based independent test prep study guide company focused on publishing academic guides exclusively for the GED exam.
Like all other best GED prep books in the market, this study guide includes information on how you can improve content mastery, and comprehensive sections of mathematical reasoning, social studies, language, and science.
Expect to learn how to design and interpret science experiments, analyzing historical events, answering geometry and algebra questions, and in-depth grammar and language topics.
The entire 400 isn’t just pure reading. You’ll be taught the best practice tests proven strategies to get high ged scores and useful testing tips.
To ensure you pass the exam once your schedule is up, the two full length practice tests are available for you to use privately. If you’re self-studying, you’ll be the one checking your answers as well, so the topics will definitely get ingrained into your brain repeatedly.
Things We Liked | Things We Didn’t Like |
– Included full length GED exams for practice and answer sheet – Comes with 2 practice tests proven to enhance knowledge retention – Over 400 pages of well-researched content -The book has illustrations, which is always a pleasant break from a TON of text. This is perfect if you absorb more information as a visual learner – The strategically-located extra trivia, info tidbits to guide you printed in the margins, so you won’t feel lost as you self-study | – No major cons |
How can I study for GED at home?
GED test-takers these days are lucky because of the multiple resources available both online and off.
Although it is good to have as much help as you can find, the reason why educators recommend buying a book instead of practicing online is that these GED materials are almost updated yearly. Most free resources have been published for years and never really revised to reflect the new test. You wouldn’t want your study time to become a huge waste of time now, right?
Another reason it’s a good idea to get a book is that most GED test prep materials include practice tests proven strategies based on past and current test takers experience.
The preparation for the GED would vary from one person to the next. It is entirely possible to do it all from home, but you’d need several things to prep:
- Create a GED study plan – Many people who take the GED are already working. If you have work, I highly recommend you make a study plan that you can stick to. Once a week? An hour a day? Do what works for you.
- Pick the right GED book – As you already know by now, test prep books are not equally made. Some only include an online study guide, while others are written with detailed explanations. Some study guide books include both the detailed topics and complimentary practice questions, flashcards, or other materials to help test takers prepare as much as possible.
- Test yourself before the official GED exam – Use test prep books to your advantage. Once you’ve learned the materials, try to do at least 2 full-length practice exams before booking a schedule for the actual GED exam. That last review push can really give you an idea of which subjects you should look back at and brush up on more.
How long should you study for your GED?
Generally speaking, the more prepared you are when you do take the test, the better your results will be. Depending on when you last attended high school, when you plan to take the next exam, and how prepared you feel about all the content areas, this could take somewhere between two months and a year. Of course, this timeline could change on a case-to-case basis.
Wrap Up: the Best GED study guide 2021 for You
By now you should know what is the most ideal GED book for you based on your strengths, weaknesses and learning styles. I hope this comprehensive review of the best GED study guides is enough to help you make an informed decision.
Personally, I’d go with the guides from Kaplan, McGraw Hill, or Princeton Review, who have all been a massive force in the academic testing market for decades, but if you’re on a budget or just need an all-in-one ged book, then the last 2 books could fit your needs as well.
Once you’ve studied your chosen book back to back and received all the help you need, your next step is to visit the GED testing service location nearest you, take the test via a computer in person, and if you pass, you’ll be awarded with the Certificate of High School Equivalency.
Drawing on her experience as a middle and high school teacher, Margaret Lipman strives to provide valuable insights for students when writing about scholarships and college application strategies in her articles for Scholarship Institute.