General Questions And Answers About The GED Test

What does it mean to have GED credentials?

A GED credential documents that you have high school-level academic skills. About 96 percent of U.S. employers, and 95 percent of U.S. colleges and universities accept the GED credential as equal to a traditional high school diploma.

Earning your GED credential will provide you with an opportunity for a better job, or a higher education.

Who is eligible to take the GED Tests?

You may take the GED Tests if:

You are not enrolled in high school, and

You have not graduated from high school, and

You are at least age 16, and

You meet state, provincial, or territorial requirements regarding age, residency, and the length of time since leaving school.

** Requirements slightly vary from state to state. You much contact your local office for exact rules for eligibility.

How should I study for the GED test?

Preparation is an essential part of any important examination. You probably have gained some knowledge and skills thorough life experience, reading, and informal training, but remember that the GED Tests are a rigorous battery of five tests that take more than seven and a half hours to complete. Regardless of your ability, you’ll be more certain to perform your best on the tests if you know what to expect before the testing day arrives. Our site is to help you study and review the material you need for a fail-proof test result.

How much time does it take to complete the GED Tests?

Depending on your level of skills and understanding, the GED tests takes anywhere around 5 to 7 hours to complete. In some areas, you must take the entire battery of tests in one or two sittings. Other places permit you to take a single test each time you come to the testing center and may offer testing in the evenings. It usually takes 15 days (2-3 weeks) for your scores to be reported back to you.

Where do I go to take the GED Tests?

There are approximately 3,400 official GED Testing Centers in the United States, Canada, and their territories. They are usually operated by local school boards, adult education centers, and/or community colleges.

Call (800) 62-MY GED (800-626-9433).

Check with your state, province, or territory’s contact person for GED testing.
If you live outside the United States, Canada, or their territories, you may be able to take the GED Tests at a testing facility operated by Prometric. Contact the regional registration center nearest you for specific information about testing locations and procedures.

How much does it cost to take the GED Tests?

The cost of taking the GED Tests varies widely-from no charge in some U.S. states to as much as $80 in others. Check with our requirements & fees page for the cost in your state.

To find out about fees outside the United States, contact Prometric.

What if I don’t pass all the tests the first time?

You can take one or more of the tests again. However, note that many jurisdictions have special requirements for candidates who don’t pass the GED Tests the first time. You may be required to wait several months or show proof of attending a preparation course before you’re permitted to re-test. You may also have to pay an additional fee. For the specific regulations in your area, check with your state, province, or territory’s contact person for GED testing.

How many questions do I need to get right on each of the GED Tests to earn a passing score?
Each correct answer is worth one point. For each individual GED test, these points are totaled and then converted to a standard score, which ranges from 200 to 800. Candidates need a standard score of 410 in order to pass each of the individual GED Tests and an overall average score of 450 for the five-test battery. To receive a 410 standard score on an individual GED test, candidates generally need to answer 60 to 65 percent of the questions correctly.

AFTER THE TEST

Will passing the GED Tests get me into college/university?

About 95 percent of U.S. colleges and universities accept GED graduates in the same manner as high school graduates. GED graduates are also eligible for most federal financial aid if they meet the program’s other criteria. After earning your GED credential, sign up to take the ACT and/or the SAT. The colleges to which you apply may also require you to take placement or achievement tests so that they can determine whether you need additional coursework.

When will my scores arrive?

It usually takes 10-15 days for your score to arrive.

What do my scores mean?

Your official GED transcript contains two sets of numbers: standard scores and percentile ranks. The standard scores make it possible to compare scores across tests and test forms. This is necessary because some tests contain a different number of questions and there are many forms of the GED Tests in circulation, all of them equally difficult.

The percentile rank makes it possible to compare your performance on each one of the tests with the performance of graduating high school seniors. The higher the percentile rank, the better your performance.

Example: Kelly’s total score after completing all five of the GED Tests is 2,850; her average standard score is 570. The percentile rank for that score is 77. The percentile rank of “77” means that Kelly has outperformed 77 out of 100 graduating high school seniors. Such a score places Kelly in the top 25 percent (100-77=23) of graduating U.S. high school seniors in terms of her general academic skills and knowledge.

Are GED graduates eligible for financial aid for college?

Yes. Federal monies are available to GED recipients as they are to traditional high school graduates who meet the eligibility criteria. These requirements usually include demonstrated financial need. A student must be enrolled in an accredited program leading to degrees or certificates. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens and must have Social Security numbers. The U.S. Department of Education’ Office of Student Financial Assistance publishes two booklets that you may find helpful:

Funding Your Education

The Student Guide

Call the Federal Student Aid Information Center, 1-800-4FED AID (1-800-433-3243) Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, or write to them at PO Box 84, Washington, DC 20044.

Additional information on financing your college education can also be found on the College is Possible web site.

Visit or call the financial aid office of the school you are planning to attend to get detail information.

LANGUAGE ART, WRITING TEST QUESTIONS

How are the GED Language Arts, Writing Test essays scored?
Since January 2002, GED Language Arts, Writing Test (Part II) essays have been scored on a 4-point holistic scale.

Two trained essay readers read each essay and score based on the overall impression. The overall impression of each paper is based on five areas:

Does the paper respond to the assigned prompt-did the candidate use the topic on the test?

Can the reader see or follow an organized plan for development?

Are there specific and relevant details to support the paper’s focus?

Are the conventions of language (grammar, usage, and mechanics) generally followed?

Is the word choice precise, varied, and appropriate?

The two readers’ scores are then averaged. If the essay receives a score of 2 or higher, the essay score is combined with the multiple-choice score to form a composite. If a candidate receives a score of 1 or 1.5 on the essay , there will be no composite score, and the candidate must retake both the essay and multiple-choice portion.

NOTE: Please note that individual essay scores are not reported. On the composite score, the multiple-choice score results represent 65 percent of the composite, and the essay score represents 35 percent.

Essay readers may not be more than one point apart in their scoring. In those cases where the readers are more than one point apart, the Chief Reader for the scoring site will set the score by agreeing with the reader whose score follows the GED Testing Service scale.

What is the passing score for the essay?

A GED candidate must earn a score of 2 or higher on the Language Arts, Writing Test, Part II essay in order to receive a composite score and obtain a passing score.

A candidate needs a score of 2 or higher to earn a passing score. States may set a composite passing score (multiple-choice and essay) that is higher than the current minimum GED passing score of 410. The composite passing score cannot be set lower than the GED Testing Service standard score.

If you received a score on your transcript in the range of 200-800, you would have earned at least a score of 2 (minimum passing score on the 4-point scale) on your essay.

How do GED essay readers score papers?

Good writing needs a focus, organization, and development with specific and relevant examples, details, explanations, etc. You’ll see these elements at the top of our scoring grid. Our readers are especially concerned with the development that supports a focus. They do not, however, look for specific errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics-they don’t score with the same elements in mind that a classroom teacher would.

Can I find out what past topics have been on the writing test? Do I need any prior preparation for the essay?

Candidates will be asked to write on a topic of general interest. The topics are brief and generally ask candidates to state their views and support with examples from their own observation, knowledge, or experience.

The GED testing service do not release their essay topics. However, here at GEDmaster.com we have several essay topics similar to those expected in the GED test. You will be able to get a good understanding on what to expect. In addition, you can submit your essay to any of our teachers to be viewed. One of our teachers will contact you with in 1-2 days with their opinion, corrections, advices, etc…

We strongly encourage you to prepare for the essay. Testers whom been away from school and with no practice, often struggle with the essay writing.

Does the GED-testonline.com offer programs to help prepare GED candidates to write essays for the Language Arts, Writing Test?

Absolutely! We are the only website that offers ESSAY PRACTICE. We have several topics to pick from, and each essay will be graded by one of our staff of teachers and he(she) will grade your paper, and give you and advices or assistance if needed. Write and submit as many essays as you want until you are satisfied – each paper will be graded individually.

MISCELLANEOUS

What accommodations are available for people with disabilities who want to take the GED Tests?
For candidates with a documented physical, sensory, emotional, or specific learning disability, test accommodations are available. These accommodations may be requested by candidates who have disabilities that can be expected to negatively affect the candidate’s chances of passing the GED Tests.

Tests are available in U.S. English-language Braille, U.S. and Canadian English-language audiocassette, and in large print editions. In addition, with documented disability, the following accommodations to the standard testing environment may be made: extended time, supervised breaks, use of an audiocassette edition, calculator, scribe, and, in some instances, a private room for testing. Some accommodations are not permitted-for example, having the questions read out loud to the candidate. The GED Testing Service does not permit the use of a dictionary or a spell checker.

Each request for accommodation, or for testing session modifications, is considered on an individual basis. To begin the process of requesting an accommodation, a GED candidate should go to the nearest GED Testing Center and request Form L-15 (for specific learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and Form SA-001 (for emotional and physical disabilities). These forms describe the information needed to document the disability. When the form is complete, it should be returned to the GED Testing Center.

Because extended testing hours and special materials are often needed, the first point of contact for the person with a disability or his/her advocate must be the nearest GED Testing Center.