GED® Social Studies
Social Studies on the GED® is about how people govern themselves, share a past, run an economy, and live on the land. This course covers the four tested areas -- Civics & Government, U.S. History, Economics, and Geography -- and teaches the reasoning skill at the heart of the test: reading sources, maps, and data, and telling evidence from opinion.
📚 Course Curriculum
The people who designed the U.S. government feared putting too much power in one place. Their solution was to split power into three branches, each …
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The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States — the rulebook that sets up the government and limits its power. When it was …
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A democracy only works when citizens take part. In the United States, government power ultimately comes from the people, who express their will mainly through …
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You don't need to memorize every date, but you should know the big turning points and what they changed. Colonization & Independence (1600s–1776): thirteen British …
Open trial session →Economics is the study of how people use limited resources to meet unlimited wants. Because resources are scarce, every choice has a trade-off, and the …
Open trial session →Geography studies the Earth's surface and how people interact with it. Two big branches: physical geography (landforms, climate, rivers, oceans) and human geography (where people …
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The GED® Social Studies test is really a reasoning test. You'll read documents, quotes, maps, cartoons, and graphs, and answer questions about them. Know your …
Open trial session →Course Syllabus
This self-paced GED® Social Studies course follows a 7-lesson sequence. Work through the modules in order so that each skill supports the next.
Course sequence
Module 1 - Lessons 1-4
- How the U.S. Government Is Structured
- The Constitution & the Bill of Rights
- Citizenship & Civic Participation
- Key Themes in U.S. History
Module 2 - Lessons 5-7
- Economics Basics
- Geography & the World
- Reading Social Studies Sources & Data
Practice and completion
- Use worked examples and lesson practice to check understanding after each module.
- Review incorrect answers, explain the correction, and repeat weak skills.
- Complete the available mixed or final course practice to demonstrate readiness.
Course Outcomes
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain the important civic, historical, economic, or geographic ideas in How the U.S. Government Is Structured.
- Analyze sources, evidence, and data related to Citizenship & Civic Participation.
- Compare perspectives and draw supported conclusions about Key Themes in U.S. History.
- Apply source-based reasoning to questions involving Economics Basics.
- Connect Reading Social Studies Sources & Data with other course themes in mixed practice.
- Use feedback and answer explanations to diagnose and correct mistakes.
- Complete mixed, exam-style practice with clearer reasoning and greater independence.
📝 Practice Questions
13 interactive questions with instant feedback and explanations.
Enroll for free to unlock the full practice bank after the trial sessions.
1 written response prompt with model rubric.