GED social studies practice test: a free drill on civics, history and more

GED Social Studies is 70 minutes for about 35 questions: about half on civics and government, 20% on U.S. history, and 15% each on economics and geography. Most questions give you a source, a quotation, map or chart, and ask what it shows. You need 145 to pass. The free 12-question drill below matches that mix.

70 min
on the real clock: ~35
questions: 50%
civics and government: 145
to pass

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

Free GED social studies drill: 12 original GED-style questions in 24:00. Your score, your time per question and the question that cost you most, explained. No sign-up.

Free GED Social Studies drill · real section pace

12
questions
24 min
time limit
Free
instant score

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 20 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is on the GED Social Studies test?

About 35 questions in 70 minutes, roughly 2 minutes each, with an on-screen calculator. Civics and government make up about half.

GED Social Studies, with where each fact comes from
Questions	about 35Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Time	70 minutesPublished by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Civics and government	about 50%Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
U.S. history	about 20%Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Economics	about 15%Published by the ownerGED Testing Service, "Test subjects"
Geography and the world	about 15%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 120 seconds a questionLifeScore

What does each part of GED social studies ask?

Four content areas: civics and government (about 50%), U.S. history (20%), economics (15%), and geography and the world (15%), all tested through reading sources.

The focus is on how American democracy works and on reading primary and secondary sources: founding documents, speeches, cartoons, maps and charts. Knowing the big documents and the structure of government is the fastest way to points.

Civics and government
about 50%
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the three branches, checks and balances, federalism, elections and citizens' rights and responsibilities.
Trap: mixing up which branch makes, enforces and interprets laws.
U.S. history
about 20%
The Revolution and founding, westward expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialisation, the world wars, the Depression and New Deal, civil rights and the Cold War.
Trap: mixing up causes and effects of an event.
Economics
about 15%
Supply and demand, scarcity and opportunity cost, inflation, the Federal Reserve, fiscal and monetary policy, trade and tariffs.
Trap: thinking a price ceiling creates a surplus.
Geography and the world
about 15%
Reading maps, migration push and pull factors, population density, and how people and environments shape each other.
Trap: reading a map without checking its key and scale.

What do GED social studies questions look like?

A short source or fact question with four options. Ask what the source actually says before you choose.

GED-style question 1 · Founding documents
The Preamble begins "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union..." What is the main purpose of the Preamble?
1. ATo list the rights of individual citizens
2. BTo describe how the president is elected
3. CTo declare independence from Great Britain
4. DTo state the goals of the Constitution and that its authority comes from the people
Worked answer
D: To state the goals of the Constitution and that its authority comes from the people. The Preamble sets out why the Constitution was written (union, justice, domestic tranquility, defense, welfare, liberty). It grants no powers and lists no specific rights.
GED-style question 2 · Expansion
In 1803 the United States bought a huge territory west of the Mississippi River from France, roughly doubling the country's size. What was this called?
1. AThe Oregon Treaty
2. BThe Mexican Cession
3. CThe Louisiana Purchase
4. DThe Gadsden Purchase
Worked answer
C: The Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson's government bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon's France in 1803 for about $15 million.
GED-style question 3 · Supply and demand
A frost destroys much of the orange crop. What usually happens to the price of oranges?
1. AIt falls, because there are fewer oranges
2. BIt rises, because supply falls while demand stays about the same
3. CIt falls, because people want fewer oranges
4. DIt stays the same, because demand is unchanged
Show the answer
B: It rises, because supply falls while demand stays about the same. A drop in supply with steady demand creates a shortage at the old price, so the price rises.
GED-style question 4 · Reading a table
The table shows the population of four counties in two census years. By what percent did the population of Ash County change from 2010 to 2020?
County 2010 2020
Dale County 40,000 42,000
Ash County 60,000 75,000
Birch County 120,000 129,600
Cedar County 25,000 27,500
1. AAn increase of 50%
2. BAn increase of 15%
3. CA decrease of 25%
4. DAn increase of 25%
Show the answer
D: An increase of 25%. Change ÷ starting population × 100: (75,000 − 60,000) ÷ 60,000 × 100 = 25%.

County	2010	2020
Dale County	40,000	42,000
Ash County	60,000	75,000
Birch County	120,000	129,600
Cedar County	25,000	27,500

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 social studies the subject you bank

Twelve questions show the gap. 4 more social studies 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 documents and ideas come up most on GED social studies?

A handful of founding documents and principles appear again and again, often as a quotation you need to recognise.

The core of the civics content (our summary)
Document or idea	What to know
Declaration of Independence (1776)	Natural rights, consent of the governed, the right to change government
Constitution (1787)	Three branches, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism
Bill of Rights (1791)	First ten amendments: speech, religion, press, searches, due process, jury trials
13th, 14th and 15th Amendments	End of slavery, citizenship and equal protection, voting regardless of race
19th and 26th Amendments	Women's suffrage (1920), voting at 18 (1971)
Judicial review	Courts can strike down unconstitutional laws (Marbury v. Madison, 1803)
Federalism	Powers split between national and state governments
Supply and demand	Less supply or more demand raises prices

How should I pace GED social studies?

About 2 minutes a question. Fact questions take seconds; source questions need a careful read.

Our arithmetic from the official question count and time limit
Mark	Number	What it means
Real time limit	70 min	For about 35 questions
Even pace	120 s	A question, if you spread the clock evenly
Halfway check	35 min	Be near question 18
Our free drill	12 in 24:00	The same seconds per question as our full practice test

Our routine: for any quotation or cartoon, ask who made it, when, and why, before reading the options. Many wrong answers are true statements about history that the source does not say.

What traps cost the most points on GED social studies?

Answering from what you know rather than what the source shows, and confusing the roles of the branches.

Choosing a true historical fact that the source does not support.
Treating an opinion in a source as a fact.
Confusing powers of Congress, the President and the courts.
Mixing up the amendments that expanded voting.
Misreading a chart's scale or a map's key.

How should I study for GED social studies?

Seven days, 30 to 40 minutes each, starting with civics because it is half the test. This is our plan.

Our plan, with minutes a day

Day 1
30 min
Take the free drill; mark which area cost you most.
Day 2
40 min
The Constitution: branches, checks and balances, federalism.
Day 3
35 min
The Bill of Rights and later amendments.
Day 4
40 min
U.S. history from the Revolution to Reconstruction.
Day 5
40 min
U.S. history from industrialisation to the civil rights era.
Day 6
35 min
Economics and geography, with charts and maps.
Day 7
40 min
A full timed social studies section, then review every miss.

How does social studies fit the whole GED?

Social Studies is the shortest GED subject, 70 minutes, and needs 145 on its own.

Its source-reading questions use the same skills as RLA, so the two subjects support each other. See the GED language arts practice test.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the GED social studies test?

About 35 in 70 minutes.

What is on GED social studies?

About 50% civics and government, 20% U.S. history, 15% economics and 15% geography and the world, mostly through sources such as quotations, maps and charts.

Is GED social studies hard?

It is the shortest subject, and most questions can be answered from the source in front of you. Knowing the Constitution and the main amendments covers a large share of the points.

What score passes GED social studies?

145 on the 100 to 200 scale.

Is the drill free?

Yes, with no sign-up. More drills and full tests are in the GED Pass Pack.

Pass GED social studies first time

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