General Equivalency Diploma Requirements
General Education Development (GED) testing, also known as the General Equivalency Diploma testing is a program of the American Council on Education. It enables those people that have not received a high school diploma to take a test and receive certification that they have attained academic qualifications equivalent to high school graduation. It is an important test, since many entry-level jobs and continuing education courses require either a high school diploma or GED.
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Registration
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The test consists of five timed sections, which are administered at state education board testing centers across the nation. They require participants to demonstrate skills in writing, reading, social studies, mathematics and science. Registration requirements vary by state. In most states, participants must be aged 16 or older and not be enrolled in high school or be a high school graduate. Many states also have a residency requirement. The test can be taken in English, French or Spanish. Those that take the test in French or Spanish may also have to take an additional English as a second language test.
Reading
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The reading test includes five fiction and two non-fiction sections of around 400 words each. Participants must read the sections and then answer questions about what they have read. The questions are designed to test the participant's comprehension, analysis and application of information they have read. This test consists of 40 questions to be answered in 65 minutes.
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Writing
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The writing test consists of two sections. The first section addresses basic grammar skills and reading and editing material for grammar and structure. The 50 questions in this section must be answered in 75 minutes. The second section involves selecting a topic from a given list and writing an essay on it. Participants have 75 minutes for this section, but, if they have finished the first section early, they can start on the second section and gain extra time.
Social Studies
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The social studies test consist of 50 questions to be answered in 70 minutes. Participants must read documents and then answer questions about them. These questions will test their knowledge of U.S. and world history, geography, government and economics.
Mathematics
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Basic mathematical principles and concepts are tested in the two sections of this test. There are 50 questions in all and participants have 90 minutes to finish them. The first section lets participants use a calculator and the second section does not.
Science
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There are 50 questions in the science test, which must be completed in 80 minutes. The questions in this test are designed to test knowledge of general biology, chemistry and physics concepts and principles, such as gravity, weather and magnetism.
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