Chapter 1

A Quick Glance at the GED Test

IN THIS CHAPTER

Reviewing the different GED test sections and their questions

Registering for the exam

Completing the GED test when English is your second language

Understanding what your scores mean and how they’re determined

The GED test offers people without a high school diploma the opportunity to earn the equivalent of an American high school diploma without the need for full-time attendance in either day or night school. The GED test is a recognized standard that makes securing a job or starting college easier.

The GED test meets current Grade 12 standards in the United States and meets the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education.

The GED test measures whether you understand what high school seniors across the country have studied before they graduate. Employers seek better-educated employees. Colleges want to make sure students are qualified. When you pass the GED test, you earn a high school equivalency diploma that can open many doors for you — perhaps doors that you don’t even know exist at this point.

You may wonder why you should even bother taking the GED test and getting your GED diploma. One reason is that people with high school diplomas earn more and spend less time unemployed than people without diplomas. In a recent year, unemployment for people without a high school diploma was 5.6 percent. That dropped to 3.9 percent for individuals with a diploma or a GED certificate. Incomes were almost 25 percent higher for high school or GED graduates than for people without diplomas. On average, GED graduates earn $9,000 per year more than people without this credential. In addition, your GED can qualify you for even more education. Don’t underestimate yourself! College may seem like a distant dream, but over 45 percent of my GED graduates go on to college within three years of getting their credential. Earnings increase and unemployment decreases at each level of education from associate’s degree on up. Even with just some college, you can earn more, on average.

Ready to get started? This chapter gives you the basics of the GED test: How the test is administered, what the test sections look like, how to schedule the test (and whether you’re eligible), and what constitutes a passing score (so you know what you need to pass).

What to Expect: The Testing Format

There are two options for taking the GED. You can take the GED at a testing center or online at home (or at another location). Either way, a computer administers the GED test. That means that all the questions appear on a computer screen, and you enter all your answers into a computer. You read, calculate, evaluate, analyze, and write everything on the computer, including making rough math calculations or outlining your essay. Instead of paper, the test centers provide you with an erasable tablet, or you can use an on-screen whiteboard.

If you know how to use a computer and are comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse, you’re ahead of the game. If not, practice your keyboarding. Also, practice reading from a computer screen because reading from a screen is very different from reading printed materials. At the very least, you need to get more comfortable with computers, even if that means taking a short course at a local learning emporium. In the case of the GED test, the more familiar you are with computers, the more comfortable you’ll feel taking the test.

If you have a special need, you are also covered. The GED offers accommodations so that all test-takers have a fair chance. You can indicate that you need accommodations when you open your account on ged.com, or later by updating your profile. See the sidebar, “Are Special Accommodations Available?” later in this chapter.

Throughout this book, you see references to the GED Testing Service’s website, ged.com. It’s a great repository of information, learning aids, and online practice tests. It’s also where you sign up to take the test. If you don’t have an account there, now is a good time to open one. Just go to ged.com, select Sign Up, and follow the prompts. The GED Testing Service’s official app, GED & Me, offers similar features as well as a number of study aids that are available only on the app.

The GED test provides speedy, detailed feedback on your performance. When you pass (yes, I said when and not if, because I believe in you), the GED Testing Service provides both a diploma and a detailed transcript of your scores, similar to what high school graduates receive. These are now available in your online account at ged.com or on the GED & Me mobile app, generally within a day of completing the test. You then can send your transcript and diploma to an employer or college. Doing so allows employers and colleges access to a detailed outline of your scores, achievement, and demonstrated skills and abilities. This outline is also a useful tool for you to review your progress. It highlights those areas where you did well and areas where you need further work. If you have to retake the test, your score report will provide a detailed guide to what you should work on to improve your scores. Requests for additional copies of transcripts are handled online and are also available within a day.

Reviewing the Test Sections

The GED test includes the following four sections (also referred to as tests), each of which you can take separately:

• Reasoning through Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Science
• Mathematical Reasoning

You can take each of the four test sections separately, at different times, and in any order you want. You can also take some of them online at home and others at a testing center. This flexibility is one of the benefits of doing the test by computer. Because everyone is working individually on the various test sections rather than as a group, the computer-based test eliminates the need for the whole group of test-takers to work in tandem. For example, you may be working on the Mathematical Reasoning test, while your neighbor is working on the Social Studies test. Just don’t look around at all your neighbors to verify this because proctors may think you’re doing more than satisfying your curiosity.

The following sections offer a closer look into what the test sections cover and what you can expect.

Because the GED tests are always evolving, be sure to check out the latest and greatest about the GED program at ged.com.

Reasoning through Language Arts test

The Reasoning through Language Arts (RLA) test is one long test that covers all the literacy components of the GED test. You have 150 minutes overall. However, the test is divided into three sections: First, you have 35 minutes of reading comprehension questions, then 45 minutes for the Extended Response (essay), followed by a 10-minute break, and then another 60 minutes for grammar and language questions. Remember that the time for the Extended Response can’t be used to work on the other questions in the test, nor can you use leftover time from the other sections on the Extended Response.

Here’s what you can expect on the RLA test:

• The reading component asks you to demonstrate a critical understanding of various passages.

• The Extended Response item, also known as “the essay,” examines your skills in organizing your thoughts and writing clearly. Your response will be based on one or two source text selections, drawing key elements from that material to prepare your essay.

  The essay is evaluated on both your interpretation of the source texts and the quality of your writing. You type on the computer, using a tool that resembles a word processor. It has neither a spell-checker nor a grammar-checker. How well you use spelling and grammar as you write is also part of your evaluation. You’ll have an erasable tablet and/or an on-screen whiteboard on which to write notes or an outline before writing your essay on the computer.

• The grammar and language component asks you to correct errors in various kinds of texts. This includes demonstrating a command of proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
• The scores from all three components will be combined into one single score for the RLA test.

The question-and-answer part of this test consists mainly of various types of multiple-choice questions and drop-down menu questions with four answer choices. You’ll also see drag-and-drop questions. For details on the different question types, see Chapters 2 and 3.

The questions are based on source texts, which are materials presented to you for your response. Some of this source material is nonfiction, from science and social studies content as well as from the workplace. Only 25 percent is based on literature. Here’s a breakdown of the materials:

• Workplace and community materials: These include work-related letters, memos, and instructions that you may see on the job. They also include letters and documents from companies and community organizations, such as banks, hospitals, libraries, credit unions, and local governments.
• U.S. founding documents and documents that present part of the Great American Conversation: These may include...