Chapter 13
Basic Arithmetic
This chapter reviews basic math terminology and definitions including the number line, positive and negative numbers, digits, rounding, multiplying and dividing, using the order of operations, fractions, decimals, and percents.
The arithmetic on the Mathematical Reasoning test is not necessarily the arithmetic you learned in school. The folks who write the test are striving to make GED® math more relevant to real life. Consequently, you won't find any questions on the more theoretical aspects of arithmetic—properties of integers, for example. Nor will there be any questions about prime numbers, imaginary numbers, or any of the other terms that generally go under the name "axioms and fundamentals." Instead, the test focuses on practical math. Several of the questions will be word problems that try to evoke situations you might find in everyday life.
In this chapter, we're going to show you all the basic arithmetic topics that come up on the Mathematical Reasoning test. With each topic, we'll first show you the concept behind the topic, then illustrate it with typical examples, and finally give you a small drill so you can practice the concept on your own. At the end of the entire chapter, there will be a big drill in GED® test format, including all the concepts we've shown you. The purpose of this is to give you some practice recognizing the different types of questions when they are all mixed together—as they are on the real GED® test. In the next chapter, we'll cover applied arithmetic topics in just the same way.