The High School Equivalency exam was developed during World War II as an alternative to a high school diploma for men and women who left high school to fight in the war. The GED test is a national examination designed by the GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education. The test is designed to provide individuals who have not completed high school with an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and to receive a credential considered equivalent to a high school diploma. A GED is usually given the same status as a regular high school diploma, and anyone who passes the GED is eligible for acceptance in one of the community colleges in the City University of New York.
The GED tests are available in English, Spanish and French. In January of 2002 GED testing centers throughout the United States, Canada and certain US territories began administering a new edition of the GED tests. Any candidate who did not successfully complete all five tests by January 2002 for the English version (and by January 1, 2003 for Spanish and French) has to start all over again with the new series of tests.

The GED exam consists of five (5) sub-tests as outlined below:

Scoring of the GED

In order to pass the GED exam in New York State, examinees must obtain a minimum score of 410 on each of the five sub-tests, and an overall total of 2250 on the exam. In order to do that, a candidate must average 450 on each of the sub-tests. Scoring of the GED is based on a total possible score of 800. In general, if you answer 60% of the questions on each test correctly, you will receive a passing score on the test.

Calculator use on the Mathematics Test

The GED mathematics exam has two parts. In Part I of the test you are permitted to use a calculator (the Casio fx-260), which is distributed to test takers by the GED Chief Examiner at the test site. For Part II of the test you must perform all calculations without the use of a calculator. While most of the math questions are multiple choice – you are provided with a number of answers to a question and you must choose the correct one – there are a few questions on the exam for which you must calculate the correct answer, and then fill in the answer on a grid or graph; No answers are provided for these questions. It is advisable that you have experience in the use of the Casio fx-260 solar calculator, as well as on completion of the non-multiple choice questions before you take the actual exam.

Who is eligible to take the GED exam?

Adults 19 years of age or older who have resided in New York State for a month or more are eligible to take the GED exam.

GED test applicants who are 17 or 18 years of age may be eligible if at the time of testing their high school class has already graduated or if they have officially been discharged from a U.S. high school for a year or more.

GED test applicants 17 or 18 years of age who never attended high school in the U.S. may be eligible to test if they provide a notarized letter signed by a parent or guardian that includes the following information:

The name and address of the person to be tested; Verification that the test candidate has not attended a high school in the US; Some form of ID or document (e.g. utility bill or driver's license) showing that the parent or guardian writing and signing the letter on behalf of the test candidate has proof of residence in New York State.

17 & 18 year olds must fill out both Attachment A & B.

How do you apply to take the GED Exam?

Anyone who meets New York State’s eligibility requirements can arrange to take the GED Test at LaGuardia or another GED Testing Center open to the public. There is no fee to take the exam. For a GED test application and information on LaGuardia’s GED Test Center, go to its GED web site at www.gedalc.org or call our GED Hotline number (718) 482-5989. The same application can be used to apply to take the test in English, Spanish or French. Only the English and Spanish versions of the test are given at LaGuardia.

How can you prepare for the GED tests?

The Adult Learning Center at LaGuardia offers free and tuition-based GED preparation classes. For information on these classes, you can call (718) 482-5380. For classes offered by other education providers, you can call the NYC Hotline. Just dial 311 from any borough and ask for a referral for basic education, ESL or GED classes.

If you are not able to attend classes, Channel 13 offers a televised GED series in both English and Spanish. You can obtain information about the Learn to Read/GED Program by calling (212) 560-2831 (in English) or (212) 560-2081 (in Spanish).

Finally, there are GED preparation books published by McGraw Hill Wright Group and Steck-Vaughn. You should be able to find one of these books in a large bookstore such as Barnes and Noble. Be sure that the GED book you purchase was published in 2002 or later. GED books contain information on all five subject-areas covered on the exam, and they also provide you with pre-tests to help you determine your readiness for the exam. One word of caution about preparing for the GED on your own: it is important to be reading and writing and doing math at a 9th grade level or higher before attempting to tackle GED-level material. You may want to review some of the GED material in a GED preparation book to see if you understand it before attempting to prepare for the test on your own.