PRETEST

Mathematical Reasoning

46 questions 115 minutes

This pretest is intended to give you an idea of the topics you need to study to pass the GED®
Mathematical Reasoning test. Try to work every problem, in a quiet area and with enough time so
that you are free from distractions. The usual time allotted for the test is 115 minutes, but it is more
important to be sure you get a chance to think about every problem than it is to finish ahead of time.
Answers and solutions for every problem can be found at the end of the pretest.

PART I: NO CALCULATOR PART II: CALCULATOR ALLOWED

For questions 1–3, fill in the missing items. 6. A store reduces the price of a toaster by
Decimal Percent Fraction 25%. The salesperson gives a customer an
additional 10% off the already-reduced price.
What is the total discount the customer is
1. 0.03
getting, expressed as a percentage?

2. 45% A. 1%
B. 2.5%
7 C. 32.5%
3. 15 D. 35%

7. If A > B, what is the correct relationship for

4. Arrange in order from least to greatest:
1 2 3 2 5 −A −B?
, , , , . Write your answer in the space
8 3 5 7 6
Write the correct symbol on the line.
below. Note: On the real GED® test, you will click
on each fraction and “drag” it into position.
8. What is the equation of a line parallel to
y = 7x + 2 and passing through the point
5. A group of 16 adults, 9 of whom are men, are (5, 10)?
placed in 4-person teams. How many different
A. y = −7x + 2
teams of all women are possible?
B. y = 7x − 2
A. 4 C. y = −7x − 25
B. 16 D. y = 7x − 25
C. 35
D. 63 9. Convert the fraction 3 to an equivalent
8
fraction with a denominator of 32.
Write your answer in the box.

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10. Solve by factoring: 3 x 2 – 5 x – 12 = 0. 15. What is the distance between −4 and 4 on the
–4 number line?
A. x = 3 or 3
A. 0
4
B. x = 3 or 3 B. −8
–4 C. 8
C. x = –3 or 3 D. 16
4
D. x = –3 or 3
16. Given a 6-sided die (one of a pair of dice) that
11. Which of the lines below is not parallel to measures 1.75 centimeters on an edge, what is
x – 2 y = 12? the volume of the die?

1 A. 3.06 cm3
A. y =– x–4 B. 5.36 cm3
2
B. 2 x – 4 y = 16 C. 10.50 cm3
D. 18.38 cm3
1
C. y = x + 21
2
17. A bowl of colored balls contains 30% red balls,
D. x – 2y = 8
20% blue balls, and 30% green balls; the rest
12. Solve for x: 3 x + 12 > 2 x + 1. are white balls. What is the percent probability
A. x > 11 of randomly selecting a color other than red
B. x > −11 on a single draw? Write your answer in the box.
C. x < 11
D. x < −11
%
13. Multiply (2 x – 7)(3 x + 1).
For questions 18–19, write your answer in the space
A. 6x − 21x − 7 provided.
B. 12x − 19x2 − 7
C. 6x2 − 19x − 7 18. 25% : 75% :: : 18
D. 6x2 + 23x + 7
1 2 19. 3 : 10 :: : 150
14. Add + .
4 3
11
A. 20. The ratio 5:7 is the same as
12
3 A. 35
B.
7 15
B.
1 21
C.
4 7
1 C.
D. 5
6 D. 0.625

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21. Suzy has made a mistake and added 25. What is the value of 2 x 2 + 3 y 3 when
4 teaspoons of baking powder to 5 cups of x = 3.5 and y = 2.25 ?
flour in a recipe that calls for 3 teaspoons of
baking soda to 5 cups of flour. In order to A. 58.67
not waste the entire batch, she has decided B. 24.50
to add flour to get the proper proportion C. 18.39
of baking powder to flour. How much flour D. 13.75
should she add?
26. For which of the following integer values of x
A. 3 cup is 0 < x < 4 true?
5
2 Write your choices in the box. (Note: On the
B. 1 cups actual GED® test, you will click on an answer
3
C. 5 cups and “drag” it into the box.)
2 −5 1
D. 6 cups
3 −4 2
22. Subtract −7x + 2 from 4x + 7. −3 3
−2 4
A. −3x + 9 −1 5
B. −3x + 5 0
C. 11x + 9
D. 11x + 5 27. Starting at –14 on the number line, in which
direction must you go, left or right, to find −11?
23. Which of the following is (are) NOT function(s)? Write your answer in the box.
A. x 1 2 5 –1 –5
y 2 3 9 7 2

B. 28. If y = x – 2, y is a real number for what

x –2 –1 0 1 2 values of x?
y 4 4 4 4 4
A. x<2
C. x –1 2 –1 4 –1 B. x>2
y 2 4 3 11 2 C. x=2
D. x>2
D. x –2 –1 0 –1 –2
y 15 7 0 7 15 29. What is the area of a triangle with a base of
15 units and a height of 6 units?
A. 90 units
24. A business owner adds 45% to the price of B. 45 units
an item to cover operating costs and profit C. 22.5 units
margin. What is the selling price of an item D. 21 units
that costs the owner $120?
A. $165
B. $174
C. $186
D. $200

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30. What is the slope of a line perpendicular to 34. If f ( x ) = 5x 2 – 7x + 4 , what is f ( –2)?

3 x + 4 y = 13 ?
A. −30
4
A. B. −14
3
C. 10
3
B. D. 38
4
C. − 3 35. What is x−3 if x = −2?
4
4 A. 8
D. −
3 1
B.
8
31. What is the perimeter of a rectangular field C. − 1
that measures 660 feet by 330 feet? 8
D. −8
A. 217,800 ft.
B. 3,960 ft. 36. Graph 3 x – 5 y = –10. (Note: On the real GED®
C. 1,980 ft. test, you will click on 2 points on the graph
D. 990 ft. that are on the line to draw the line.)
y
x5
32. Reduce to lowest terms: .
x3 10
A. x15 8
B. x8
6
C. x2
D. x 4

2
33. Approximately how many cubic centimeters x
–10 –8 –6 –4 –2 2 4 6 8 10
can a tin can hold if it is 11.0 centimeters high
–2
and its top is 7.4 centimeters in diameter?
–4
A. 1,891 cm3
–6
B. 473 cm3
C. 128 cm3 –8

D. 43 cm3 –10

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PRETEST

2
37. Simplify 6 x + 8 x .
2
40. Multiply ( x + 2) .
2x2
A. x 2 + 4
3x +4
A.
x B. 4 x 2
B. 7x
C. 7 C. x 2 + 2 x + 4
D. 22x D. x 2 + 4 x + 4

41. If housing prices have increased by 17% since

38. Simplify 4 162 . last year, what was the old price of a house
Write each number in the appropriate box. that today sells for $185,000?
!! ! A. $216,450
B. $158,120
C. $153,550
39. Is this the graph of a function?
D. $31,450
Check Yes or No.
2 x + 2 3x – 7
y 42. Subtract – .
4y 2x
10 x 2 + x − 3 xy + 7 y
A.
8 2 xy
6 x +5
B.
4
2 ( y − 1)
−4 x + 16
2 C.
y−x
x 2
–10 –8 –6 –4 –2 2 4 6 8 10 x + x − 3 xy + 7 y
–2 D.
4 xy
–4
–6 43. Given the equation y = 3 x + 4, what are the
–8
slope and y intercept?
Write your answers in the appropriate boxes.
–10

Slope

y-intercept

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44. A bag has 6 red marbles and 12 blue marbles. 46. Solve x 2 – 5 x – 6 = 0 .
A marble is drawn from the bag at random.
A. x = − 6 or − 5
What is the probability that it is blue?
B. x = − 6 or − 1
1
A. C. x = 6 or 1
3
1 D. x = 6 or − 1
B.
2
2
C.
3
D. 3
4
45. What are the mean, median, and mode of the
data set {5, 3, 6, 4, 6, 2, 8, 2, 6, 3, 6, 9, 1, 4, 7}?
Write your answers in the appropriate boxes.

mean

median

mode

THIS IS THE END OF THE MATHEMATICAL REASONING PRETEST.

ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS BEGIN ON THE NEXT PAGE.

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