Mathematical Reasoning is about 46 questions in 115 minutes, and not one of them is a surprise. GED Testing Service splits the test into four reporting categories, gives each a fixed share of the questions, and lists 62 content indicators underneath them: single sentences saying what a question may ask you to do.
Below, that list is rearranged into something usable: each category with its weight, its skills in plain language, what a question looks like, and a link to practice it. At the end is the half nobody publishes, the topics GED Testing Service names as not assessed.
- Questions
- About 46
- Time
- 115 minutes
- Categories
- 4, each weighted
- Skills listed
- 62 indicators
Four categories, four weights
The specification cuts the test two ways. The broad cut is about 45% quantitative and about 55% algebraic. The cut that matters more is the one your score report uses: four categories, each with a published share.
| Reporting category | Share | Questions (our math) | Skills listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rational numbersQ.1.a – Q.3.d | 25% | about 11 or 12 | 13 indicators |
| Measurement, shapes and dataQ.4.a – Q.8.b | 20% | about 9 | 17 indicators |
| Expressions and equationsA.1.a – A.4.b | 30% | about 14 | 20 indicators |
| Graphs and functionsA.5.a – A.7.d | 25% | about 11 or 12 | 12 indicators |
The percentages are official. The question counts are ours: arithmetic against a 46-question test, because GED Testing Service publishes only the shares.
One number is worth staring at. Categories three and four are both algebra, and together they are 55% of the test. If algebra is what you dread, it holds more than half the marks.
The topic map, category by category
Each category, with the skills it contains. These are the official indicators, grouped and rewritten in plain language; the wording is ours, the content is theirs.
1. Rational numbers — 25%
Officially quantitative problem solving with rational numbers, indicators Q.1.a – Q.3.d (13 skills), and by our arithmetic about 11 or 12 of the 46 questions.
- Order fractions and decimals, and place them on a number line
- Add, subtract, multiply and divide fractions, decimals and negative numbers
- Squares, square roots, cubes, cube roots and scientific notation
- Absolute value as distance from zero, and the distance between two numbers
- Rewrite a numeric expression using factors, multiples or the distributive property
- Unit rates: price per item, miles per hour, people per square mile
- Scale factors, and scale drawings converted to real dimensions
- Two-step percent problems: tax, tip, discount, markup, commission, simple interest, percent change
- Spotting an expression with no value, such as one that divides by zero
A question might look like this: you are shown two pack sizes of the same drink with their prices, and asked which is the better buy. It takes two divisions and a comparison, and the bigger pack is not always the answer.
Practice it: Number sense and operations · Fractions, decimals and percents · Ratios, rates and proportions · Exponents, roots and scientific notation.
2. Measurement, shapes and data — 20%
Officially quantitative problem solving in measurement, indicators Q.4.a – Q.8.b (17 skills), and by our arithmetic about 9 of the 46 questions.
- Area and perimeter of rectangles, triangles, circles, polygons and composite shapes
- Working backwards: given an area or a perimeter, find a missing side
- Volume and surface area of prisms, cylinders, pyramids, cones and spheres
- The same for solids built from two shapes joined together
- The Pythagorean theorem, for a missing side of a right triangle
- Reading and building bar graphs, circle graphs, dot plots, histograms and box plots
- Reading tables, scatter plots and line graphs of two-variable data
- Mean, median, mode, range, weighted averages, and a missing value from a known average
- Counting, combinations and permutations, and the probability of single and compound events
A question might look like this: a labeled drawing gives the radius and height of a cylindrical tank and asks how much it holds. The formula is handed to you; marks go missing on using a diameter as a radius.
Practice it: Geometry and measurement · Data, statistics and probability.
3. Expressions and equations — 30%
Officially algebraic problem solving with expressions and equations, indicators A.1.a – A.4.b (20 skills), and by our arithmetic about 14 of the 46 questions.
- Combine like terms, expand brackets and factor
- Add, subtract and multiply polynomials, and divide ones that factor
- Add, subtract, multiply and divide algebraic fractions
- Evaluate any of those by substituting numbers for the letters
- Turn a sentence or a situation into an expression
- Solve linear equations, including ones with fractions, brackets or letters in place of numbers
- Write an equation to model a real situation, then solve it
- Solve one-variable inequalities, and show the solution set on a number line
- Solve simultaneous equations by graphing, substitution or elimination
- Solve quadratic equations by factoring, the quadratic formula, completing the square or inspection
A question might look like this: a gym charges a joining fee plus a fixed monthly rate. You are told what a member has paid after so many months and asked for the monthly rate. Write the equation, then solve it.
Practice it: Expressions and polynomials · Equations and inequalities.
4. Graphs and functions — 25%
Officially algebraic problem solving with graphs and functions, indicators A.5.a – A.7.d (12 skills), and by our arithmetic about 11 or 12 of the 46 questions.
- Locate and plot points on the coordinate plane
- Find slope from a graph, an equation or a table
- Read a unit rate as the slope of a proportional relationship
- Graph a linear equation in two variables
- Read a graph's features: intercepts, where it rises or falls, maximums and minimums
- Write the equation of a line from a slope and a point, or from two points
- Use slope to spot parallel and perpendicular lines
- Decide whether a table or a graph is a function
- Evaluate a linear or quadratic function in function notation, such as f(3)
- Compare two relationships given in different forms and say which changes faster
A question might look like this: one savings plan is drawn as a line on a grid, the other given as an equation, and you are asked which adds money faster. The job is reading a slope off the grid.
Practice it: Functions and graphing.
Two things fall out of that. Measurement is the widest category — 17 skills inside the smallest share, so any one of them is unlikely to appear. Graphs and functions is the opposite: 12 skills across a quarter of the test, and most of them are slope in a different hat.
What is not on the GED math test
Any list of what is on a test is half a list. GED Testing Service publishes the other half in two places, and it is worth ten minutes of anyone’s time.
The Assessment Guide’s Appendix A lists skills the old 2002-series test carried and this one dropped. A board member’s presentation on ged.com names six more. Together:
| Not assessed | What that means for you | Named in |
|---|---|---|
| Trigonometry | No sine, cosine or tangent. Right triangles use the Pythagorean theorem. | GEDTS presentation |
| Geometric proofs | No proving triangles congruent, no two-column proofs. | GEDTS presentation |
| Exponential functions | No growth-and-decay functions. Exponents are still tested. | GEDTS presentation |
| Two-variable inequalities | No shading regions. One-variable inequalities are tested. | GEDTS presentation |
| Graphing quadratics | No parabolas to draw or read. Solving quadratics is tested. | GEDTS presentation |
| Lines of best fit | You may read a scatter plot, but never fit a trend line. | GEDTS presentation |
| Logarithmic functions | Dropped with the 2002 series. Nothing here uses logs. | Assessment Guide, Appendix A |
| Spatial transformations | No flips, slides, turns or dilations of a figure. | Assessment Guide, Appendix A |
| Direct and indirect variation | Proportion is tested as unit rates and slope instead. | Assessment Guide, Appendix A |
If the book you are studying from has a chapter on sine, cosine and tangent, that chapter is not on the GED. Close it and spend the evening on slope.
The five ways a question can be asked
Content is only half of what surprises people; the other half is the interface. GED Testing Service lists five item formats, and a skill you can do on paper still costs a mark if you have never typed an answer into a box.
| Format | How you answer it | Where it turns up |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice | Click one of four options, A to D. No fifth option, no penalty for guessing. | Almost every skill on the test. |
| Fill in the blank | Type a number, or an equation, using the keyboard or an on-screen character selector. | Answers a list would give away. |
| Drop-down | A sentence has a menu in it; pick the term or number that makes it true. | Statements about a graph or result. |
| Drag and drop | Move numbers, words or images onto targets. Some are meant to be left unused. | Ordering, matching, building an equation. |
| Select an area | Click a spot on a graphic. It has invisible sensors, so you must land on one. | Grids, number lines, dot plots. |
There is no essay and no written explanation on math; extended response belongs to Reasoning Through Language Arts. GED Testing Service hosts a free page on testing online that describes each format before test day, and our full-length practice test uses all five.
Two parts, one calculator rule
The 115 minutes are not one block. GED Testing Service says the total includes two minutes of instructions and final review, and a three-minute break between the parts.
- Part 1: about 5 questions, no calculator. Arithmetic you do on the note board, with numbers chosen to be workable by hand.
- Part 2: about 41 questions, calculator on. An on-screen TI-30XS MultiView appears and stays for the rest of the test.
At a test center you have the option of bringing your own handheld TI-30XS MultiView; online, you get the on-screen one only. Which keys matter is on our GED calculator page.
One thing the record does not settle: whether you can return to Part 1 once the calculator appears. No ged.com page we could find states a rule either way. Plan as though Part 1 closes behind you.
What you are handed on test day
You are not expected to memorize anything the test gives you:
- The Mathematics Formula Sheet. On paper at a test center, from a drop-down online, and available for the whole test, including Part 1 where the calculator is not. Each entry is explained on our formula sheet page.
- A calculator reference sheet. The official TI-30XS reference sheet covers the percent and fraction keys, scientific notation, roots, and the fraction-to-decimal toggle.
- Three erasable note boards and a marker at a test center. There is no paper, so write small and erase as you go.
How hard the questions get
Difficulty is described with Depth of Knowledge levels, and the Assessment Guide publishes one number: approximately 50 percent of the items are written at DOK level 2. A level 1 question runs a procedure you know. A level 2 question makes you work out which procedure first, usually across two steps: find the sale price, then add the tax.
No percentages are published for level 1 or level 3, so a full breakdown from anyone is a guess. Individual skills are tagged DOK 1, 1–2 or 2.
On top of content, about 30% of items are also aligned to a Mathematical Practice, one of five reasoning habits measured alongside the math: finding a way into a problem, turning a situation into math, extending or repairing an argument, working accurately, and judging whether someone else’s reasoning holds. Those items reward reading before calculating.
Questions may stand alone or come in groups of two or three built on one table or graph.
Why it is “about 46 questions”
You will see an exact count on plenty of pages. Take it with a grain of salt. GED Testing Service’s own blog says “about 46 questions divided into two parts” and a GEDTS subject flyer states 46, but the main test-subjects page publishes the time and no question count. Forms vary, which is why the wording is hedged.
The same caution applies to “how many can I miss”. The conversion from raw answers to the 100–200 scaled score is not published, so every number you see for that is an estimate. What is published is the line you have to cross: 145 out of 200.
Where to start with all this
A map is not a plan. Take the full-length practice test cold (it ends with a breakdown across these same four categories), then pick off the weakest one in the topic sets. For the order and the timetable rather than the contents, that is the job of our GED math study guide.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of math is on the GED?
The math you meet in middle school and early high school: fractions, decimals, percents, ratios and unit rates, exponents, roots and scientific notation; area, perimeter, volume, surface area and the Pythagorean theorem; graphs, averages and probability; and algebra (expressions, equations, one-variable inequalities, systems, quadratics, slope and function notation). It stops before trigonometry and logarithms.
How many questions are on the GED math test?
About 46. GED Testing Service says 'about 46 questions divided into two parts' rather than publishing a fixed number, because test forms vary. Any site that promises an exact count, or an exact number you can miss, is giving you an estimate.
How long is the GED math test?
115 minutes. GED Testing Service says that total includes two minutes of instructions and final review, plus a three-minute break between Part 1 and Part 2. Across about 46 questions that is roughly two and a half minutes each.
Is there trigonometry on the GED math test?
No. A GED Testing Service board member's presentation on ged.com lists trigonometry among the topics not assessed, along with geometric proofs, exponential functions, two-variable inequalities, graphing quadratics and lines of best fit. If your practice book has a sine-and-cosine chapter, skip it.
Is there geometry on the GED math test?
Yes, but only the measuring kind: area, perimeter, circumference, volume, surface area, composite shapes and the Pythagorean theorem, with the formulas supplied on a reference sheet. There are no geometric proofs and no spatial transformations.
Do you need statistics and probability for the GED math test?
Basic ones, inside the 20% measurement category: mean, median, mode and range, weighted averages, finding a missing value from a known average, reading bar graphs, circle graphs, dot plots, histograms, box plots and scatter plots, combinations and permutations, and the probability of single and compound events. Lines of best fit are listed as not assessed.
Does the GED math test have an essay or written answers?
No. Mathematical Reasoning uses five formats only: multiple choice, fill in the blank, drop-down, drag and drop, and select an area. Extended-response writing appears on Reasoning Through Language Arts only.
What is the hardest part of the GED math test?
GED Testing Service's own data points at four places. A GEDTS mathematics content specialist's session names non-calculator items, exponents and roots, three-dimensional shapes, and compound probability as the biggest knowledge gaps among test-takers. That is four specific skill areas rather than one whole category.
Sources
Figures on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown.
- Assessment Guide for Educators: Mathematical Reasoning · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
- Mastering Math Skills (board member presentation) · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
- GED Test Subjects: Mathematical Reasoning · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
- The Toughest GED Math Questions — and How to Solve Them · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
- What to expect on test day · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
- TI-30XS MultiView Calculator Reference Sheet · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
- Taking the GED test online: what you see on screen · GED Testing Service · checked September 15, 2026
- Math Knowledge & Skill Gaps, Session 1 · GED Testing Service · checked September 13, 2026
Written by
Coach Crissy
Math instructor
Coach Crissy teaches the video lessons behind the BooknBoost GED math course, working through GED-style problems on camera: ratios and proportions, percent and interest, mean, median and mode, slope, and the geometry students meet on test day.
Keep going
Free full-length practice test
Two timed parts, all five formats, and a breakdown across these four categories.
The GED math study guide
The same map turned into an order of study and a week-by-week plan.
The formula sheet, explained
The formulas you are given, each with a worked example and the mistake it causes.
What score you need
145 of 200, what the higher bands mean, and what is not published about scoring.