Family & Community Adult Education
General Educational Development (GED)

GED General Information

The General Educational Development Tests (GED Tests) can give you the opportunity to earn a high school equivalency diploma. This credential is recognized as a key to employment opportunities, advancement, further education, and financial rewards.

What are the GED Tests?

The GED Tests are five tests in the areas of Language Arts - Writing Skills, Language Arts - Reading, Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics. The questions in each of these tests require you to use general knowledge and thinking skills. Few questions ask about facts, details, or definitions.

Am I eligible to take the GED Tests?

You are eligible to take the tests if you are not enrolled in, and have not graduated from, high school, and you need to meet the requirements set by your state, territory, or province, with regard to age, the length of time since you left school, and residency.

What are the GED Tests like?

With the exception of Language Arts - Writing Skills, which requires you to write an essay, and the Mathematics Test, which has open-ended questions that require that some of the answers be entered on to an Alternative Grid or a Coordinate Plane, all of the questions on the GED Test are multiple choice with five possible answers given. The questions range in difficulty from easy to hard, and cover a wide range of subjects.

The contents of the tests are as follows:

• Language Arts -Writinge Arts

  Part I (50 questions, 75 minutes)

  Part II (essay, 45 minutes) (Total for questions & essay 2 hours)

• Language Arts, Reading (40 questions, 65 minutes)

• Social Studies (50 questions, 70 minutes)

• Science (50 Questions, 80 minutes)

• Mathematics (50 questions, 90 minutes)

How should I prepare for the tests?

Many adult education programs sponsored by local school districts, colleges, and even community organizations, provide the instruction you may need for the tests. You can talk to the teachers at these adult education programs, to decide whether you need to study for all of the tests, or if you only need to brush up on your skills in a few areas. In fact, about twenty percent of all GED test-takers do not formally study for the tests.

However, should you decide that you want to attend a program with GED test instruction, your next step is to contact the Massachusetts Adult Literacy Hotline at 1-800-447-8844 to receive information about adult education and GED preparation programs near you. You may also check the Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS) website at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

There is also a television series carried by cable television and most public television stations throughout the country. This television series may provide you with the preparation that you need. Libraries and bookstores also carry GED study materials.

What should I do next?

Contact the Test Center in your area for specific information and assistance. Refer to our updated web site list for the Test Centers in Massachusetts.

You may also contact:

GED Testing Service
American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 939-9490

ABCs of the GED

• The GED tests are tough. The GED is not a remedial study program.
• Only six out of ten graduating high school seniors would earn passing scores if they took the GED Tests.
• The GED Tests cover what graduating high school seniors are supposed to know about language arts - reading, language arts - writing, social studies, science, and mathematics. They also measure reading comprehension, analytical ability, writing ability, and other important skills.
• The GED Tests last a total of seven and one quarter hours.
• Most people prepare for the GED Tests - with review classes, books, or practice tests. Many already have the knowledge and skills they need. Passing the GED Tests lets them prove it.
• People who pass the GED Tests have stronger reading skills on average than graduating high school seniors.
• About one out of every seven people who receive high school diplomas, each year earns that diploma by passing the GED Tests.
• About two of three persons taking the GED Tests plan to enter a two-year college, four-year college, or trade, technical, or business school during the next year. Another one in eight GED test-takers plan to take on-the-job training during the next year.
• About two-thirds of the people taking the GED Tests finished the tenth grade before leaving high school. About one-third finished the eleventh grade.
• Only one in twenty GED test-takers say academic problems led them to leave school.
• More than half of those who take and pass the GED Tests are twenty-four or younger. Nearly one-third are under twenty.
• More than ninety-five percent of employers nationwide employ GED graduates on the same basis as high school graduates in terms of hiring, salary, and opportunity for advancement.
• Since 1942, more than twelve million adults have earned GED Diplomas.