A 12-week GED study plan you can actually follow

A free week-by-week GED study plan for one subject, with a weekly routine, what to do each week, and how to adapt it for work and family.

All guides · Reviewed 7 October 2026

Short answer: This plan prepares you for one GED subject in 12 weeks at about six to eight hours a week: one week to set up and find your level, eight weeks of lessons, two weeks of timed practice, and a final week for GED Ready and booking. Repeat it for each subject.

Your weekly routine

Pick four fixed sessions and treat them like shifts at work.

Three weekday sessions of 90 minutes: two or three lessons each, with the lesson checks.
One weekend session of two hours: revise the week, redo the questions you got wrong, and write a short timed quiz.
Ten minutes most days: reread your notes or redo five questions on your phone.

Short, regular sessions beat one long session. If you miss one, move it; do not skip the week.

Week by week

Week 1: set up. Create your GED.com account, read how the test works, and take a diagnostic or sample quiz to see where you are. Write your target test week in your calendar.
Weeks 2 to 5: the foundations. Work through the first half of the lessons in order. Do not skip the early modules, even if they look easy; later topics depend on them.
Weeks 6 to 9: the harder topics. Finish the remaining lessons. Keep a list of every question you got wrong and why.
Week 10: first timed practice exam. Sit it in one go, with no notes. Mark it and sort your mistakes into topics.
Week 11: fix and repeat. Revise your weakest two or three topics, then write a second timed practice exam.
Week 12: GED Ready and book. When your practice results are steadily above the benchmark, take the official GED Ready test. With 145 or more, book the real test for the following week or two.

Adjusting the plan

Only four hours a week? Stretch each block: plan for 18 to 20 weeks.
Maths? It is the longest course. Allow 14 to 16 weeks at this pace.
Language Arts? Write at least four full practice essays in weeks 8 to 11, each in 45 minutes.
Fell behind? Move your test date. Writing before you are ready costs more than waiting two weeks.

Start today

Try a free sample lesson now to see how long a lesson takes you, then build your timetable around that. Not sure how long the whole GED will take? See how long it takes to get a GED.

Common questions

How many hours a day should I study for the GED?

About 90 minutes on three or four days a week is enough for steady progress in one subject. Regular sessions matter more than long ones.

Which GED subject should I start with?

Start with the subject you feel strongest in, so that you pass one early and learn how the test works. Leave enough time for Maths.

Should I study all four GED subjects at the same time?

Most adults do better studying and writing one subject at a time. You keep each pass, and the work stays fresh for each test.