HiSET Math Practice Test: 12 Questions Solved, Plus HiSET vs. GED
Twelve original HiSET math questions solved step by step, how the test compares with the GED, and the score you need to pass.
The HiSET math test is 55 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, scored from 0 to 20. To earn your high school equivalency credential, you need at least 8 on each of the five HiSET subtests and a total of 45 or more. Below is how it compares with the GED, then 12 original practice questions solved step by step.
HiSET or GED: how the math tests compare
Which test you can take depends on your state: some offer the HiSET, some the GED, and some both. If you have a choice, the math sections differ in useful ways:
| HiSET Mathematics | GED Mathematical Reasoning | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 55, all multiple choice | 46, including drag-and-drop and fill-in-the-blank |
| Time | 90 minutes | 115 minutes |
| Calculator | TI-30XS at test centers | On-screen TI-30XS on most questions; none on the first few |
| Score to pass | 8 out of 20 (plus 45 total across subtests) | 145 on a 100 to 200 scale |
The HiSET math figures come from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's HSE comparison; rules for online testing and retakes vary by state, so confirm them when you register. For the GED side, see our GED math practice test.
The pace you need
Fifty-five questions in 90 minutes is about 1 minute and 38 seconds per question. That is the biggest difference from the untimed placement tests. Two habits help:
- Skip and come back. If a question takes more than two minutes, pick your best guess, mark it, and move on. Never leave a question blank: an unanswered question can't earn a point.
- Bank time on easy questions. Number questions like 1 and 2 below should take under a minute. The time you save pays for the word problems.
Numbers and operations
1.Evaluate: \(-12 \div (-3) \times 2\)
- A8
- B2
- C\(-8\)
- D\(-2\)
Show solution
Division and multiplication have the same priority, so work left to right.
\[\begin{gathered}-12 \div (-3) = 4 \\ 4 \times 2 = 8\end{gathered}\]Common trap: Multiplying first: \(-3 \times 2 = -6\), then \(-12 \div (-6) = 2\). Multiplication does not come before division; they go left to right.
Answer: A (8)
2.Multiply: \((3 \times 10^4)(2 \times 10^3)\)
- A\(6 \times 10^{12}\)
- B\(5 \times 10^7\)
- C\(6 \times 10^7\)
- D\(6 \times 10^1\)
Show solution
Multiply the numbers, then add the exponents of 10.
\[(3 \times 2) \times 10^{4 + 3} = 6 \times 10^7\]Common trap: Multiplying the exponents and writing \(10^{12}\). When powers of the same base are multiplied, the exponents add.
Answer: C (\(6 \times 10^7\))
Measurement and geometry
3.A shelf is 3 yards 2 feet long. How long is it in inches?
- A38 inches
- B132 inches
- C110 inches
- D120 inches
Show solution
1 yard = 36 inches and 1 foot = 12 inches.
\[3 \times 36 + 2 \times 12 = 108 + 24 = 132\]Common trap: Treating 3 yards 2 feet as "3.2 yards," or converting only one part. Convert each unit separately, then add.
Answer: B (132 inches)
4.A circular rug has a radius of 4 feet. Using \(\pi \approx 3.14\), what is its area?
- A\(25.12 \text{ ft}^2\)
- B\(12.56 \text{ ft}^2\)
- C\(100.48 \text{ ft}^2\)
- D\(50.24 \text{ ft}^2\)
Show solution
\[\begin{gathered}A = \pi r^2 = 3.14 \times 4^2 \\ = 3.14 \times 16 = 50.24\end{gathered}\]Common trap: Using the circumference formula, \(2\pi r = 25.12\). Area is measured in square units and uses \(r^2\).
Answer: D (\(50.24 \text{ ft}^2\))
5.A 6-foot-tall person casts a 4-foot shadow. At the same time, a tree casts an 18-foot shadow. How tall is the tree?
- A27 feet
- B12 feet
- C20 feet
- D72 feet
Show solution
The sun makes similar triangles, so height and shadow keep the same ratio.
\[\begin{gathered}\tfrac{6}{4} = \tfrac{h}{18} \\ \Rightarrow\; h = \tfrac{6 \times 18}{4} = 27\end{gathered}\]Common trap: Flipping one ratio, \(\tfrac{4}{6} = \tfrac{h}{18}\), which gives 12. The tree's shadow is longer than the person's, so the tree must be taller than 6 feet, by the same ratio.
Answer: A (27 feet)
Data, probability, and statistics
6.What is the median of 3, 9, 4, 12, 7, 5?
- A4
- B7.5
- C6
- D7
Show solution
Put the numbers in order: 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12. With six numbers, the median is the mean of the two middle ones.
\[\tfrac{5 + 7}{2} = 6\]Common trap: Taking the middle of the list as written (4 and 12). Always sort the data before finding the median.
Answer: C (6)
7.Two fair coins are flipped. What is the probability that both land on heads?
- A\(\tfrac{1}{2}\)
- B\(\tfrac{1}{4}\)
- C\(\tfrac{1}{3}\)
- D1
Show solution
The outcomes are HH, HT, TH, TT: four equally likely results, one of which is HH.
\[P = \tfrac{1}{2} \times \tfrac{1}{2} = \tfrac{1}{4}\]Common trap: Thinking there are three outcomes (two heads, two tails, one of each), which gives \(\tfrac{1}{3}\). "One of each" can happen two ways, HT and TH.
Answer: B (\(\tfrac{1}{4}\))
8.What is the range of this data set: 14, 22, 9, 30, 17?
- A17
- B30
- C9
- D21
Show solution
The range is the largest value minus the smallest.
\[30 - 9 = 21\]Common trap: Subtracting the first number from the last as listed, \(17 - 14\), or confusing range with median (17). Find the largest and smallest values first.
Answer: D (21)
Algebra and functions
9.Solve for \(x\): \(3(x - 2) = x + 10\)
- A4
- B2
- C8
- D16
Show solution
\[\begin{gathered}3x - 6 = x + 10 \\ \Rightarrow\; 2x = 16 \\ \Rightarrow\; x = 8\end{gathered}\]Common trap: Stopping at \(2x = 16\) and answering 16, or distributing the 3 to the \(x\) only. Finish by dividing, then check: \(3(6) = 18\) and \(8 + 10 = 18\).
Answer: C (8)
10.Dana scored 65, 72, and 68 on three tests. What score does she need on the fourth test to average exactly 70?
- A75
- B70
- C68
- D85
Show solution
An average of 70 over four tests means a total of \(4 \times 70 = 280\).
\[\begin{gathered}280 - (65 + 72 + 68) \\ = 280 - 205 = 75\end{gathered}\]Common trap: Answering 70. Her first three scores average less than 70, so the fourth has to be higher to pull the average up.
Answer: A (75)
11.If \(f(x) = x^2 - 3x\), what is \(f(-2)\)?
- A\(-2\)
- B10
- C\(-10\)
- D2
Show solution
\[f(-2) = (-2)^2 - 3(-2) = 4 + 6 = 10\]Common trap: Writing \((-2)^2\) as \(-4\), which leads to 2. Squaring a negative number gives a positive result.
Answer: B (10)
12.A candle is 12 inches tall and burns down 0.75 inch per hour. Which equation gives its height \(H\) after \(h\) hours?
- A\(H = 0.75 - 12h\)
- B\(H = 12 + 0.75h\)
- C\(H = 12 - 0.75h\)
- D\(H = 12.75h\)
Show solution
The candle starts at 12 inches and loses 0.75 inch every hour, so the rate is subtracted.
\[H = 12 - 0.75h\]For example, after 12 hours, \(12 - 9 = 3\) inches are left.
Common trap: Adding the rate, \(H = 12 + 0.75h\), as if the candle grew. When something decreases at a steady rate, the slope is negative.
Answer: C (\(H = 12 - 0.75h\))
Answer key
What your HiSET math score means
- Below 8: not passing yet on math. You retake only the math subtest, not the whole battery.
- 8 or higher: passing on math, as long as your total across the five subtests reaches 45.
- 15 or higher: in Texas, a HiSET math score of 15 exempts you from the TSI math test for five years. Other colleges may also use it for placement, so a few extra points are worth aiming for.
Free official practice
The HiSET program offers free practice tests in math, in English and Spanish, on hiset.org. Each free test is half the length of the real subtest, so time yourself at 45 minutes to practice the pace. Algebra skills carry over directly: our lessons on percent word problems and slope cover topics that appear across the test.
Teacher's note: On a timed test, I tell students to do one quick pass through the whole section first, answering only what they can do with confidence, then a second pass for the rest. It sounds slower, but it guarantees you see every easy question before the clock runs out, and the second pass feels less stressful because the points are already banked.
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