4. Recap: Scientific Reasoning on Test Day
GED® Science: Full-Length Practice Test (Life, Physical, Earth & Space) · preview lesson
Roughly half of GED® Science questions test how you think, not what you memorized. These skills earn points on every passage.
The must-knows:
- Hypothesis: a testable, falsifiable 'if … then' prediction.
- Variables: the independent variable is what you change; the dependent variable is what you measure; controlled variables are kept the same. A fair test changes only one thing.
- Correlation vs. causation: two things rising together does not prove one causes the other -- a third factor may explain both.
- Reading data: check the title, axis labels, units, and scale before answering.
- Valid conclusions: stay within what the data shows; distrust answers using always, never, or proves.
Common mix-up: a strong correlation is not proof of cause. Only a controlled experiment can show causation.
Two things rise together. Does that prove one causes the other? (yes/no)
A third factor could cause both.
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