The High School Diploma Alternative
Uses of a GED Credential
Most colleges require a high school diploma during the admissions process. Employers may use the GED scoring as a job qualification. A General Education Development (GED) test score can be supplemental to a diploma.
The GED is also referred to as the General Equivalency Diploma, although it's not the official name.
Test Details
The test has 5 sections:
- Language Arts: Reading
- Language Arts: Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
One part of the language arts writing section covers structure, organization, usage, and mechanics. Students have 75 minutes to complete the 50 questions. The second part requires an essay to be written and is graded on a scale of 1 to 4. Students have 75 minutes for the essay section, and can use time from their other section if they finish early.
The reading section consists of 40 questions that need to be answered in 65 minutes. Excerpts from popular literature are commonly used, and five questions for each passage are presented for analysis. Students who have extensive experience with literature tend to perform at a high rate in this section.
The Mathematics section is administered in two parts. One section is calculator-optional and the other does not permit calculator use. It is not permitted to bring your own calculator since they are provided at the test facility. The time limit is 90 minutes for this section.
You have 80 minutes for the Science section consisting of 50 questions. The content consists of life, earth, space, and physical sciences usually accompanied by graphics to aid the questions.
There are 50 Social Studies questions with a time limit of 70 minutes. The topics include American history, world history, civics and government, economics, and geography. Graphics are also utilized with many of the questions.
Registering
The GED is offered all across the United States and other countries. Military bases and some companies encourage test participation. Each state has their own laws concerning prerequisites to the test. Some require pretests before registration. Contact your local department of education for more registration information.
Preparing
Test preparation can be done privately or in groups. A large variety of practice material is available online and in study books. Check with your department of education and local colleges to see if they offer adult education training, which provides a classroom atmosphere for people with similar skills and goals.
