How to Get a GED at Home for Free

Prepare at home for your GED.

According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, about 7,000 students a day drop out of high school. This is an alarming statistic considering that the ability to do well in the work world is usually dependent on a high school diploma. Fortunately the General Educational Development Test (GED) is recognized as the equivalent of a high school diploma by most employers and universities. Though you must take the GED at an official testing center, there are several free online ways for you to prepare for the GED and take sample tests at home.

Instructions

1. Answer all the sample test questions at the GED Testing Service website, the official GED site (see Resources), and thoroughly understand each of the correct answers.

2. Take an official GED practice test online, also found on the GED Testing Services website (see Resources). There are full-length and half-length tests available.

3. Check your test results by clicking the "Submit for grading" button at the bottom. You will be given your questions, what you answered and the correct answers. Notice which content areas you are stronger in and which you are weaker in.

4. Register and take the online practice test offered by PBS LiteracyLink in partnership with KET (see Resources). The test will monitor your strengths and weaknesses. It also offers immediate feedback along the way to help you understand the content.

5. Complete the PBS LiteracyLink lesson modules found at your Homespace under GED Connection (see Resources). Focus on the content areas you are weakest in. It is always best to be overprepared rather than underprepared on test day.

6. Take the full-length official GED practice test again.

7. Find your nearest testing center by using the locator at the GED Testing Services' website (see Resources). Schedule a day and time for your test.

Tips & Warnings

• The GED covers four content areas: Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.

• If you do not score high on your second try on the practice test, begin again at Step 2.

• Beware of Internet sites claiming that you can take your GED online. You cannot. These are scams and diploma mills. The GED must be taken at one of the more than 3,400 official testing centers worldwide.

References

• Alliance for Excellent Education: High School Dropouts in America
• ACE.net: Prepare Online for the GED Tests
• LiteracyLink: LiteracyLink Overview

Resources

• ACE.net: GED Testing Service
• ACE.net: Sample GED Test Questions
• Steck Vaughn: Official GED Practice Test
• LiteracyLink: GED Connection Practice Test
• LiteracyLink: GED Lesson Modules
• ACE.net: GED Test Center Locator