GED science practice test: a free timed drill and what the test asks

GED Science is 90 minutes for about 34 to 40 questions: about 40% life science, 40% physical science and 20% earth and space science, built around two themes, human health and living systems, and energy. Most questions give you a passage, table, graph or experiment, so reading data is the core skill. You need 145 to pass. Try the free drill below.

90 min
on the real clock: 34–40
questions: 40 / 40 / 20
life / physical / earth %: 145
to pass

Last checked 20 October 2026 · Facts from GED Testing Service's own pages

Free GED science drill: 12 original GED-style questions in 29:00. Your score, your time per question and the question that cost you most, explained. No sign-up.

Free GED Science drill · real section pace

12
questions
29 min
time limit
Free
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By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 20 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is on the GED Science test?

About 34 to 40 questions in 90 minutes, with an on-screen calculator. Roughly 40% life science, 40% physical science and 20% earth and space science.

GED Science, with where each fact comes from
Questions	about 34 to 40Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Time	90 minutesPublished by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Life science	about 40%Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Physical science	about 40%Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Earth and space science	about 20%Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Tools	On-screen TI-30XS allowedPublished by the ownerGED Testing Service, "TI-30XS calculator reference guide" (PDF)
To pass	145 on a 100 to 200 scale, on this subject by itselfPublished by the ownerGED Testing Service, "How is the GED test scored?"
Even pace	About 142 seconds a questionLifeScore

What does each part of GED science ask?

Three content areas tied together by two themes (human health and living systems; energy and related systems), and a set of practices: reading data, designing experiments and reasoning from evidence.

GED Science is not a memory test of facts. It hands you the information and asks you to read it like a scientist: what was changed, what was measured, what the graph shows and what conclusion it supports. A few core ideas do have to be known, and they are listed below.

Life science
about 40%
Cells, body systems and human health, nutrition, disease and the immune system, genetics and Punnett squares, evolution and ecosystems.
Trap: confusing correlation in a health study with cause.
Physical science
about 40%
Matter and its changes, chemical reactions and conservation of mass, forces and Newton's laws, work and energy, heat, waves and electricity.
Trap: thinking "lost" energy is destroyed rather than changed to heat.
Earth and space science
about 20%
Plate tectonics, rocks and the water cycle, weather and climate, natural hazards, natural resources, and Earth's place in the solar system.
Trap: explaining the seasons by distance from the sun.
Science practices
every area
Independent and dependent variables, controls, hypotheses, reading tables and graphs, and calculating a mean, density, speed or probability from data.
Trap: reading the wrong axis or ignoring the units.

What do GED science questions look like?

A short setting or data table, then one question. Read the labels and units first, then the question.

GED-style question 1 · Cells
Mitosis produces two daughter cells. How do their chromosomes compare with the parent cell's?
1. AEach has half as many chromosomes as the parent
2. BEach has twice as many chromosomes as the parent
3. CEach has the same number of chromosomes as the parent
4. DOne has all the chromosomes and the other has none
Worked answer
C: Each has the same number of chromosomes as the parent. Mitosis copies the chromosomes and splits them evenly, so each daughter cell is a genetic copy with the same number. Meiosis is the division that halves the number to make sex cells.
GED-style question 2 · Atoms
An atom has 11 protons and 12 neutrons. What is its mass number?
1. A1
2. B12
3. C11
4. D23
Worked answer
D: 23. Mass number = protons + neutrons = 11 + 12 = 23. The number of protons (11) is the atomic number, which identifies the element (sodium).
GED-style question 3 · Earth's structure
Which layer of Earth is the thinnest?
1. AThe crust
2. BThe inner core
3. CThe mantle
4. DThe outer core
Show the answer
A: The crust. The crust is only about 5 to 70 km thick, very thin compared with the mantle (about 2,900 km) and the core.
GED-style question 4 · Speed
A cyclist rides 37.5 km in 2.5 hours at a steady pace. What is the average speed? (speed = distance ÷ time)
1. A35 km/h
2. B15 km/h
3. C0.07 km/h
4. D93.75 km/h
Show the answer
B: 15 km/h. Speed = distance ÷ time = 37.5 ÷ 2.5 = 15 km/h.

These come from our public sample set, so none of them appears in the drills or the paid tests. More, for every subject, are in GED-style practice questions.

Make science the subject you bank

Twelve questions show the gap. 4 more science drills and 8 full practice tests close it.

The GED Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 16 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The GED Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the GED Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 16
topic drills: 1
score predictor

Which science ideas does the GED expect me to already know?

A short list of core ideas comes up again and again. Everything else is usually given to you in the question.

Core ideas worth memorising (our summary)
Idea	In one line
Independent variable	What the scientist changes on purpose
Dependent variable	What is measured
Control group	The group that gets no treatment, for comparison
Density	Mass ÷ volume; less than 1 g/cm³ floats in water
Speed	Distance ÷ time
Newton's second law	Force = mass × acceleration
Punnett square	Pair each parent's alleles; aa shows the recessive trait
Energy pyramid	About 10% of energy passes to the next level up
Photosynthesis	Carbon dioxide + water + light → glucose + oxygen
Conservation of mass	Mass of reactants = mass of products
Seasons	Caused by the tilt of Earth's axis

How should I pace GED science?

About 2 to 2.5 minutes a question. Data questions can be quick if you read the axes first; experimental-design questions take longer.

Our arithmetic from the official question count and time limit
Mark	Number	What it means
Real time limit	90 min	For about 34 to 40 questions
Even pace	142 s	A question, if you spread the clock evenly
Halfway check	45 min	Be near question 19
Our free drill	12 in 29:00	The same seconds per question as our full practice test

Our routine: read the title, labels and units of any table or graph before the question, then put your finger on the exact value the question asks about. Most wrong answers on data questions are right numbers read from the wrong row or column.

There are sometimes short constructed-response items; on our practice tests every question is multiple choice.

What traps cost the most points on GED science?

Most misses come from reading data carelessly or assuming a link proves a cause.

Mixing up the independent and dependent variables.
Concluding that one thing causes another from a study that only found a link.
Extending a trend beyond the data shown.
Ignoring units: grams versus kilograms, hours versus minutes.
Choosing the answer you believe rather than the one the data support.

How should I study for GED science?

A seven-day plan, 30 to 40 minutes a day, alternating core ideas and data reading. This is our plan.

Our plan, with minutes a day

Day 1
30 min
Take the free drill and note which area cost you most.
Day 2
35 min
Experiments: variables, controls, hypotheses, reliable results.
Day 3
40 min
Life science: cells, body systems, genetics and Punnett squares.
Day 4
40 min
Physical science: matter, reactions, forces, energy.
Day 5
35 min
Earth and space: plates, weather and climate, the solar system.
Day 6
35 min
Data calculations: mean, density, speed, half-life, percent.
Day 7
45 min
A full timed science section, then review every miss.

How does science fit the whole GED?

Science is one of four GED subjects and needs 145 on its own. Because it is mostly reading and data, many people find it the quickest to pass after RLA.

Good RLA reading habits and the data skills from math both help here. See the GED math practice test for the calculations that appear in science questions too.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the GED science test?

About 34 to 40, in 90 minutes. The exact number varies by form.

What is on GED science?

About 40% life science, 40% physical science and 20% earth and space science, focused on human health and living systems and on energy. Most questions give you a passage, chart or experiment.

Can I use a calculator on GED science?

Yes, the on-screen TI-30XS is available on the science test.

Do I need to memorise a lot for GED science?

Less than people expect. Most information is in the question. Learn the core ideas in the table above and how experiments work.

What score passes GED science?

145 on the 100 to 200 scale.

Pass GED science first time

16 drills (4 for science) and 8 full practice tests, in one payment with no subscription.