FAQ

At the request of the military, the GED® test was first developed in 1942 to help returning World War II veterans finish their high school studies and reenter civilian life. The GED® test first became available to civilians in 1947 when the state of New York implemented a program to award its high school diploma to those who passed.

The GED® test is designed to measure the skills and knowledge equivalent to a high school course of study. The five content areas that comprise the GED® test are mathematics; language arts, reading; language arts, writing (including essay); science; and social studies.

The GED® test is developed, delivered, and safeguarded by content specialists, researchers, psychometricians, and other staff of the GED Testing Service, a joint venture between the American Council on Education and Pearson.

The GED® testing program is an international partnership involving the GED Testing Service, each U.S. state and the District of Columbia, the Canadian provinces and territories, the U.S. insular areas, the U.S. military and federal correctional institutions, and the veterans administration hospitals. GED Testing Service establishes the test administration procedures and passing standard. All jurisdictions administer the GED® Tests and award their high school credentials to adults who meet the GED® test passing standards and any other additional jurisdictional requirements.

In 2013, more than 848,000 adults of more than 743,000 adults worldwide took some portion of the GED test of that total more than 560,000 (75.3%) earned a passing score.

In order to pass the GED® test, an examinee must have a combined passing score of 580; in addition, each individual subject area test score must be 145 or greater. Those passing the GED® test have demonstrated a level of knowledge equal to or greater than 40 percent of graduating high school seniors.

Among the many benefits of the GED® testing program, passing the GED® test provides an opportunity for adults to continue their education. In fact, 90 percent of universities in Pakistan and 95 percent of U.S. colleges and universities accept GED® test graduates who meet their other qualifications for admission, according to the College Board. A GED® credential documents that you have high school-level academic skills. About 96 percent of U.S. employers accept the GED® credential as equal to a traditional high school diploma, according to recent studies.

You may take the GED® test if:
• You are not enrolled in college or dropped out of college for any reason.
• You have failed in HSC or Alevels.
• You don't want to take HSC or Alevels.
• You have a gap in your studies.
• You have not graduated from HSC or Alevels
• You are at least 17 years old.
If you are considering leaving high school, the GED Testing Service recommends that you first meet with your high school counselor to talk seriously about your decision and the level of academic skill needed to pass the GED® test.

You have to be able to read, compute, interpret information, and express yourself in writing on a level comparable to that of 60 percent of graduating high school seniors. If you are uncertain whether you have the level of skill needed to successfully complete the tests, you can find out more about your abilities in several ways. Many programs are sponsored by local school districts, colleges, and community organizations. Teachers and tutors in these programs can tell you whether you need intensive preparation or a quick brush up.

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® test is 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.

The battery of five GED® content-area tests takes seven hours and five minutes 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 may take up to several weeks for your scores to be reported back to you.

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® test 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.

Letter grades (A, B+, C-, etc.) are not standardized across every high school; an A student at one high school may be a C student at a more rigorous high school. Therefore, we cannot equate GED® test scores to a GPA. We can provide a national percentile rank that tells you where a GED® candidate stands in relation to graduating high school seniors.

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.

The GED® test is developed using specifications established by experienced secondary school and adult educators and are reviewed by subject matter experts. Every test question is subjected to multiple reviews by test specialists and external content specialists, and is pretested before becoming part of a final test form. The GED® test is also standardized and normed using a national stratified random sample of graduating high school seniors. In order to pass the tests, the GED® candidate must demonstrate a level of skill that meets or surpasses that demonstrated by approximately 60 percent of graduating high school seniors.

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® test content areas and an overall average score of 450. To receive a 410 standard score on a content area of the GED® test, candidates generally need to answer 60 to 65 percent of the questions correctly.

About 90 percent of universities in Pakistan and 95 percent of U.S. colleges and universities accept GED® test graduates in the same manner as high school graduates. The credential is not only accepted in the U.S. but also in many other countries. GED® test 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 college or university to which you apply may also require you to take placement or achievement tests so that they can determine whether you need additional coursework.