Best GED Prep Books
Studying for the General Educational Development (GED) test can be stressful as it covers a very wide spectrum of subjects including: Social Studies, Science, Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. Given the recent overhaul to the GED Test, you have to be extra careful in order to find the top resources.
So here’s the good news – ExamPrepBooks has personally researched and reviewed every major GED book on the market so you can focus your time and energy on your studies. The comparison chart below will help you figure out which books will best fit your needs.
Helpful Comparisons + Best Pricing Options
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OVERALL RATING |
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COMPANY | Kaplan GED Test Premier | Master the GED Test | McGraw-Hill Preparation for the GED | Barron’s How to Prepare | Cracking the GED Test |
PRICE | $17.24 | $23 | $11.96 | $8.95 | $12.50 |
PRACTICE QUESTIONS | 1000 | “hundreds” | 1000 | N/A | Practice Tests + 350 Online Questions |
FULL PRACTICE EXAMS | 2 | 5 (3 in book, 2 online) | 4 (2 in book, 2 on DVD-ROM) | 4 (2 in book, 2 on CD-ROM) | 2 |
PAGES | 780 | 864 | 992 | 704 | 832 |
FORMATS | Paperback Book, Online | Paperback Book, Online | Paperback Book, DVD-ROM | Paperback Book, CD-ROM | Paperback Book, Online Access |
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS | Internet Access | Internet Access | DVD-ROM Compatibility | See Full Review for Requirements | Internet Access |
DIAGNOSTIC EXAM | ![]() |
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“pretests” | ![]() |
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PROGRESS TRACKING | ![]() |
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KINDLE EDITION | ![]() |
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VIDEO LESSONS | ![]() |
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MORE DETAILS | Read Full Review | Read Full Review | Read Full Review | Read Full Review | Read Full Review |
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Kaplan GED Test Premier 2017
OVERALL RATING:
Kaplan is a world leader in test preparation. As a very large company they have the ability to really make useful study guides that come with a lot of extras. This is the newer version of last year popular GED Test Premier. It contains an easy to follow structure and is known for having good explanations throughout.
In this book students will learn the essential skills they need to pass the mathematical reasoning, science, social studies, and reasoning through language arts tests. Some of the features include: 1000 practice questions with explanations, a diagnostic pretest, personal study plan, 2 full-length practice tests, 50 online videos with expert instruction, and expert strategies.
Overall this a great resource because not only does it provide a lot of practice questions, but Kaplan really goes the extra mile with their online features and expert advice.
Master the GED Test, 28th Edition
OVERALL RATING:
This is another popular book with many similar features to Kaplan. What stands out about this book is that it contains the most full-length practice tests having 3 in the book and 2 online.
From it, students will get a useful review of all GED subjects, frequent use of examples throughout, a word list to improv vocabulary, a diagnostic test, 5 full-length practice tests, and valuable details about how the test is formatted and scored. They have a good online platform where students can time their tests and experience technology enhanced question styles.
Peterson’s Master the GED Test is great for students who would like access to more practice tests and use a great online platform.
As an added benefit, the writing style of this book is very friendly. It employs a conversational tone and uses simple, easy-to-understand language, making this one of the best GED books on the market.
McGraw-Hill Education Preparation for the GED Test with DVD-ROM
OVERALL RATING:
Another leading test prep publisher, Mcgraw Hill, is updateing their GED prep book for 2015. This book eases readers through a large amount of material. What stands out about this book is that, in addtion to the 2 tests in the book, it includes a DVD-ROM that contains 2 practice test in the new technology based-formats.
With Preparation for the GED Test, test preparers will be able to : study all 4 test subjects, take 4 full-length practice exams, pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses through pretests, quiz themselves after each learned subject, and learn all about the test and what to expect.
Although this book doesn’t have extra online features, it is great as an all inclusive course and the DVD-ROM provides two excellent examples of the new computer based format of the test. It would be good to double-check on the system requirements for the computer program.
Barron’s: How to Prepare for the GED Test
OVERALL RATING:
This book was written with the 2014 computer based GED in mind. What stands out about it is that it has a CD-ROM where students to take 2 full-length practice tests simulating the computer based format. They have not however, released a 2015 version.
All together the book includes: diagnostic tests, 4 practice tests, material on the 4 main subjects. It may be a good backup or supplement to more current study options.
The program will run on a PC with:
- Windows® Intel® Pentium II 450 MHz or faster
- 128MB of RAM
- 1024 X 768 display resolution
- Windows 2000, XP, Vista
- CD-ROM Player
The program will run on a Macintosh® with:
- PowerPC® G3 500 MHz or faster
- 128MB of RAM
- 1024 X 768 display resolution
- Mac OS X v.10.1 through 10.4
- CD-ROM Player
- Browser with Adobe® Flash® Player installed
Unfortunately, the book does contain a number of errors and the practice tests on the accompanying CD do not give an actual score, but only provide a tally of wrong answers.
The Princeton Review: Cracking the GED Test, 2017 Edition
OVERALL RATING:
This book is good for test strategy as it has a lot of useful tips and tactics to help students work smarter on the exam. It also reviews each test subject, has 2 full practice tests in book, and an additional 350 practice questions.
It does not provide as many practice tests as some of the other top GED books and has received some mixed internet reviews; however, for only $17 readers get 832 pages of content that was written with the 2015 test in mind.
As an added benefit, the writing style of this book is very friendly. It employs a conversational tone and uses simple, easy-to-understand language. In sum, this comprehensive GED study guide is up to date, helpful, thorough, and – last but not least – great value for money.