🚀 NEW: Self-Paced TEAS 7 Study Portal — 28 lessons, 16 tools, flashcards & practice tests Try Free Preview →

GED RLA: The Reading Comprehension Survival Guide

By Chloe Dupont, M.A. · Published April 12, 2026

Student analyzing text for the GED RLA exam
How do you pass GED Reading Comprehension?

Skim the questions before reading the passage to identify focus areas. Track transitions and author tone rather than memorizing facts. Always base your answers strictly on the text provided, never on your outside knowledge.

The GED Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) test is arguably the most exhausting section of the entire exam. Clocking in at 150 minutes, it's a marathon of reading.

But here is the secret that unlocks the RLA test: it is not testing how fast you read, nor is it testing if you agree with the author. It is testing how well you can find evidence to support a claim. Once you view the passages as a scavenger hunt rather than a novel, the test becomes significantly easier.

📋 From the Tutor's Desk

For my ESL (English as a Second Language) students, the RLA is often the biggest hurdle because of unfamiliar vocabulary. But the GED almost always provides context clues. If there's a big word you don't know, ignore the panic. Look at the sentence before it and the sentence after it. 90% of the time, the passage defines the word for you indirectly.

Rule 1: Read the Questions First

Never start reading the passage at paragraph one. Scroll past it and read the first question. Determine exactly what the test wants you to find. Are you looking for a specific fact? The author's main argument? The definition of a word in paragraph 3?

By reading the question first, you provide your brain with a "target." While you read the passage, your brain will automatically flag the sentence that answers the question.

The Three Passage Types

You will encounter three main types of text on the GED RLA:

  • Informational Texts (75%): Workplace documents, history articles, and scientific summaries. For these, focus on the first and last sentence of each paragraph. That is usually where the main point is stated.
  • Fiction/Literature (25%): Excerpts from novels or stories. For these, focus heavily on the characters' motives and the overall theme or moral of the story.
  • Dual Passages: You will read two passages that argue about the same topic from opposite perspectives. You will be asked to compare the strength of their evidence. Keep track of which author relies on facts (statistics, studies) and which author relies on emotion or opinions.
💡 Tutor’s Tip: On "Dual Passage" questions, the correct answer usually supports the author who cited concrete data, numbers, or expert testimonies, rather than the author who just used strong emotional language.

Finding the Main Idea

When a question asks, "What is the primary purpose of this passage?", use the Title-First-Last method:

  1. Look at the Title (if provided). It literally tells you the topic.
  2. Read the First Paragraph heavily. The thesis statement is almost always at the end of the first paragraph.
  3. Read the Last Paragraph. Authors always summarize their main point in the conclusion to leave a lasting impression.

Reading comprehension improves strictly through practice. Expose yourself to as many GED-style texts as possible by taking our free GED practice quiz.

RLA Reading FAQs

The RLA section is 150 minutes long, including a 10-minute break and 45 minutes for the essay. That leaves about 95 minutes for the reading comprehension questions.
No. The GED provides all the information you need within the passage itself. You are only tested on your ability to analyze the provided text.
Use context clues. Read the sentence before and after the unknown word. The test almost always provides enough context to deduce the meaning.
Passages are usually 400 to 900 words long. You will see informational texts (like workplace documents) and literary texts (like short stories).

Find GED Prep Near You

Get personalized adult education tutoring. Select your nearest location to get started.