HiSET Social Studies Study Guide: Introduction

Welcome to the HiSET social studies test study guide! In this guide, you will review content and strategies that will help you do your best on test day. Let’s begin by examining the basics.

The HiSET Social Studies Test
Number of Multiple-Choice Questions	60
Time Limit	70 minutes

That’s a lot of questions to answer. How does the content break down?

Content Area	Approx. Number of Questions
History	21
Civics/Government	21
Economics	12
Geography	6

As you can see, the HiSET social studies test does not weigh all content areas equally. History and civics/government questions comprise 70% of all test questions. As a result, this guide will go more in-depth with these topics than economics or geography – but you should still expect a thorough review of all subjects.

Shoring Up Your Reading Skills

You may think that passing the HiSET social studies test requires a lot of memorization. If so, you’d be right and wrong. Although you must be familiar with many social studies concepts, nearly all test questions are concept application questions. As a result, your reading and analytical skills will impact your score more than your social studies content knowledge.

When approaching any HiSET social studies test question, the following steps can help you find the correct answer. We’ll break down these steps and then apply them to a practice question.

Step 1: Read the Question
Before diving into a passage or image, you must know exactly what the question asks. Doing so will make you a more effective reader and usually save you some time.

Step 2: Analyze the Stimulus
It’s time to look at the stimulus. The HiSET social studies test uses excerpts from historical and government documents, such as speeches and treaties. Images may include political cartoons, charts, graphs, or maps.

As you analyze the stimulus, look for key words and phrases related to the question. This process should take only a few seconds but may require a little more time for longer or more challenging stimuli.

Step 3: Identify and Ignore the “Fluff”
In a stimulus, the “fluff” is content that does not relate to the question, specifically the keywords. “Fluff” can be a couple of sentences from an excerpt or certain details in a chart or image.

Step 4: Compare the Question to Your Prior Knowledge
Although the HiSET social studies test does not assess your ability to memorize facts and figures, prior knowledge can help you significantly on test day. Take a moment to compare the stimulus to what you already know about the topic. Even a little prior knowledge about a subject can help you eliminate unlikely answer choices.

Step #5: Choose the Answer
Even if you successfully complete steps 1-4, you may be left with two plausible answer choices. If you find yourself in that situation, make sure to choose an answer. Like other standardized tests, the HiSET does not penalize you for guessing.

Let’s apply these steps by looking at a practice question.

Let’s Practice!

1. How did the Louisiana Purchase affect the people living in the territory the United States bought from France?

A. They became U.S. citizens.

B. They were expelled.

C. They remained French citizens.

D. They were enslaved.

Step 1: Read the Question

The question is very straightforward. The Louisiana Purchase affected the people living in the Louisiana territory. We must analyze the text to find out the correct effect.

Step #2: Analyze the Stimulus

The stimulus’ introduction tells us about the stimulus and the year it was written. Article III begins with “The inhabitants of the ceded territory…,” so we know right away that this part of the stimulus is closely aligned with the question. The phrase “incorporated in the Union of the United States and admitted as soon as possible” tells us that the U.S. government wanted these inhabitants to be part of the country.

Step #3: Identify/Ignore the “Fluff”

In our example, the “fluff” is the first part of the stimulus, as it has nothing to do with the people in the Louisiana territory. However, this “fluff” may play an important role in answering another question (most stimuli relate to more than one question), so scan it as you read.

Step #4: Compare the Question to Your Prior Knowledge

The Louisiana Purchase is something you should be familiar with going into the HiSET social studies test. In France, Emperor Napoleon needed money to fund his many wars. Selling the Louisiana Territory to the United States was a great way to make some quick cash. You should also know that the Louisiana territory became many U.S. states, such as those in the Midwest. As the places that were once France became part of the United States, we have a big clue as to which answer is correct.

Step #5: Choose the Answer

The phrase “advantages and immunities of citizens of the United States” tells us that the correct answer is A: they became U.S. citizens. Thus, this question requires little to no analysis. However, the complex language of government documents may present challenges to some test takers. If you’re having trouble with comprehension, you can focus on how the text and right answer both use the word “citizens.” However, remember that “they remained French citizens” is also an answer choice. A single word by itself can’t tell you whether an answer choice is correct.

Now that we’ve examined the process of answering a HiSET social studies question, let’s dive into the content categories!