Testing Center
GED Testing
What is the GED test?
The GED (General Education Development) is a series of five tests that measure knowledge and skills typically learned in high school.
For registration and testing information, contact the Testing Center.
Note: If you took the GED before January 1, 2002 and did not pass, your scores are invalid and you will be required to start again with the new GED Test Program series.
GED Testing Schedule
| Daytime Sessions 9:00am - 2:30pm |
Evening Sessions 5:00pm - 9:30pm |
Retake Testing 9:00am - 2:30pm |
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GED Test Registration Fee
GED Test registration fee is $150. Seating is limited to 20 candidates per test session. You must register and pay in advance. The test fee is nonrefundable. No late admittance to test session will be permitted. Retakes are $30 for each exam.
Requirements for GED Testing
- State or government photo identification verifying age and social security number are required for admission to the test session.
- To be eligible for a GED certificate, candidates must be 18 years old and their high school class must have graduated. The State of Michigan sends GED certificates to passing students when requirements have been fulfilled.
GED Preparation
GED Information
Passing the GED
- The passing standard score must be not less than 410 on EACH of the five tests.
- The candidate must attain an average standard score of 450 for all five tests.
What will the five tests cover?
- Day 1:
- Language Arts, Writing Tests (2 parts):
- Part 1: 50 items, 75 minutes
- Part 2: Essay, 45 minutes
- Mathematics Test (2 parts):
- Part 1: 25 items, 45 minutes, calculator*
- Part 2: 25 items, 45 minutes, no calculator
- Language Arts, Writing Tests (2 parts):
- Day 2:
- Social Studies Test (50 items, 70 minutes)
- Science Test (50 items, 80 minutes)
- Reading Information Test (40 items, 65 minutes)
*Note: Each GED candidate is responsible for knowing how to use the official Casio fx260 solar calculator before coming to test. Schoolcraft College will provide the calculators for the test.
What do the GED tests measure?
The Tests of General Education Development (GED Tests consist of five tests which measure achievement in subject areas associated with a high school program of study. The five tests, and their relative content emphases, are:
- Writing - Part 1: Sentence Structure (30%); Usage (30%); Mechanics (25%); Part 2: Essay
- Social Studies - National History (25%); Economics (20%); Civics and Government (25%); World History (15%); Geography (15%)
- Science - Life Sciences (45%); Earth and Space (20%); Physics and Chemistry (35%)
- Reading - Literary Test (75%); Nonfiction Prose (25%)
- Mathematics - Numbers, Number sense and Operations (25%); Measurement and Geometry (25%); Data, Statistics and Probability (25%); Algebra, Functions, and Patterns (25%)
The tests are taken by people who have not graduated from high school and who wish to demonstrate a level of educational achievement sufficient to earn a high school credential. The tests are administered regularly at more than 3,000 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Interpreting GED test results
Performance on the GED Tests is reported in two ways.
(1) Standard scores & percentile ranks
Results on each of the five GED Tests are given as "standard scores" ranging From 200 to 800 and "percentile ranks" ranging from 1 to 99: higher scores result from correctly answering more test questions. Both scores compare the examinee's results to those for a recent representative national sample of high school seniors. The average standard score for graduating high school seniors is 500; therefore, standard scores above 500 are above those of the typical high school graduate. The percentile ranks show the percent of the graduating seniors who earned scores at or below those of about 30 percent of the seniors.
Each state, province and territory sets its own minimum scores for earning a high school equivalency credential. These minimum scores require examinees to earn scores as high as those of a least 27% of the recent high school graduates. If the examinee's scores meet or exceed the minimum required, the "Passed" box is marked. If not, the "failed" box is marked. Examinees who do not pass can retake the GED Tests in order to raise their scores. The local chief examiner can provide information about retesting. Generally, further study is recommended in those subjects in which standard scores below 350 are earned. Local adult education programs often provide preparation classes as an aid in improving performance.
A detailed description of the tests and score scales is given in the GEDTS publication The Official Teacher's Guide to Tests of General Education Development, available from Steck-Vaughn Company Inc., 10801 No. Mopac Expressway, Austin, TX 78759