How to Get Your GED

People from all walks of life have quit high school for reasons beyond their control or for personal reasons such as the need for employment, learning disabilities, failing grades, an inability to cope with teachers, illness, and pregnancy. Many of these people believe that they will eventually continue their education by getting their GED or General Educational Development certificate in the future when their life returns to some form of normalcy, and allows for them to once again concentrate on furthering their education. The GED is accessible to anyone aged 16 or older, and it is fairly inexpensive, or to those that qualify, it is free. For a person that is uncomfortable in a classroom setting, the GED can be obtained online at various sites. You cannot apply for a GED if you are still attending high school or have received a high school diploma.

Where Did the GEDÃ?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Get it’s Start?
In 1942, the head of household usually had an education of nothing higher then the 8th grade. Men worked in mines and held industrial jobs that required manual labor, and minimal educations. World War II declared that most males would be sent overseas to fight which meant leaving school early. While many had jobs to return to, some wanted to expand their knowledge and get higher paying jobs. Thus, the GED was designed in 1942 with this in mind. It contained all of the basics that were learned in traditional high schools, and colleges accepted them as equivalent to the diploma. The GED was revised in 1972 as a sign of the times was clearly a higher education with a larger expansion of academic subjects with more concise, critical thinking.

Preparing for the GED Battery Test
It all starts with a firm commitment from the student. Family members and friends can offer encouragement and help with studying for the examination. Your local library has books for preparing for the GED test. Once you are confident that you are ready to take the exam, look in the yellow pages of your phone book under Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½schools’ or community colleges for adult education programs or you can contact the GED Testing Service by calling 1-800-626-9433.

Facts About the GED Testing Standards
The same five part test is offered in all fifty states, and successfully passing the five sections of the test concludes that the student has acquired a level of learning that is comparable to that of high school graduates. The standard GED test ranges from easy questions to harder, more complex subject matter. The test will involve five basic concepts that include, writing Skills, part I & II, including an essay, Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½this requires a minimal of 9th grade reading skills’, math, social studies, science, and reading & language or literature and the arts. The test takes approximately 7 hours, and each part of the test is given separately in intervals. Many schools recommend that you take classes to prepare for the examination, and sometimes when registering to take the GED testing battery, students must show their level of competency by taking pretests. Once you have completed the test, it is scored by a percentage, and you will be required to have a minimal score of 450 to pass the entire examination. Your essay part of the test is usually graded by a university professor.

Why Bother to Get a GED?
For starters, over 90% of employers and colleges accept the GED as equal to a high school diploma, and your earning potential is raised by at least 20% when acquiring a GED, but the most important reason is the feeling of completion. Just because you didn’t finish high school doesn’t mean that you still can’t. An education makes you feel good about yourself, and the accomplishment of asserting yourself for a better way of life is something to really be proud of.

Administrators of the GED for Your State:
http://www.acs.cc.al.us/ Alabama
http://www.ajcn.state.ak.us/abe/ged.html �¯�¿�½Alaska
http://www.ade.az.gov/ Arizona
http://dwe.arkansas.gov/ Arkansas
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ged �¯�¿�½California
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeadult/GEDindex.htm �¯�¿�½Colorado
Bureau of Adult Education and Nutrition Programs,�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½860-638-4151
Connecticut
http://www.dcadultliteracy.org/�¯�¿�½Washington D.C.
Bureau of Adult Programs, (850) 245-9000�¯�¿�½
Florida�¯�¿�½
http://www.dtae.tec.ga.us/adultlit/ged.html �¯�¿�½Georgia
Community Education Section, 808-594-0170�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½Hawaii
http://www.sde.state.id.us/�¯�¿�½Idaho
GED Administrator, Community College Board,�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½(217) 785-0123 Illinois�¯�¿�½
http://www.doe.state.in.us/adulted/welcome.html�¯�¿�½Indiana
http://www.readiowa.org/ �¯�¿�½Iowa
http://www.kansasregents.org/�¯�¿�½Kansas
http://kyae.ky.gov/ �¯�¿�½Kentucky
http://www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/adulted/ged/ged.asp �¯�¿�½Louisiana
http://www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/adulted/ged/ged.asp �¯�¿�½Maine
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/msde �¯�¿�½Maryland
http://www.doe.mass.edu/ged/ �¯�¿�½Massachusetts
http://www.michigan.gov/mdcd/1,1607,7-122-1680_2798_2801 – -CI,00.html Ã?¯Ã?¿Ã?½Michigan
GED Administrator,Minnesota Department of Education, (651) 582-8437 Minnesota
http://sbcjcweb.sbcjc.cc.ms.us/adulted/ �¯�¿�½Mississippi
GED Administrator,�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½(573) 751-1249 Missouri
http://www.opi.state.mt.us/GED/Index.html Montana
http://www.nde.state.ne.us/ADED/home.htm �¯�¿�½Nebraska
http://www.literacynet.org/nvadulted/programs-ged.html�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½Nevada
GED Administrator, State Department of Education, Division of Adult Learning and Rehab
(603) 271-6699 New Hampshire
http://www.nj.gov/njded/students/ged/index.html �¯�¿�½New Jersey
http://www.sde.state.nm.us/div/ais/assess/ged/gedfaq.html�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½New Mexico
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ �¯�¿�½New York
http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/ �¯�¿�½North Carolina
http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/adulted/index.shtm �¯�¿�½North Dakota
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/curriculum-assessment/assessment/ �¯�¿�½Ohio
http://sde.state.ok.us/home/defaultie.html�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½Oklahoma
http://egov.oregon.gov/CCWD/GED/ �¯�¿�½Oregon
http://www.able.state.pa.us/able/cwp/view.asp?a=5&Q=39791&g=176&ableNav=|2620|2786|&ableNav=|2766|&ableNav=|2759| �¯�¿�½Pennsylvania
http://www.ridoe.net/adulted_ged/Default.htm �¯�¿�½Rhode Island
http://www.ridoe.net/adulted_ged/Default.htm �¯�¿�½South Carolina
http://www.state.sd.us/dol/abe/ged_testing_home.htm �¯�¿�½South Dakota
http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/AE/aeged.htm �¯�¿�½Tennessee
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ged/info.html �¯�¿�½Texas
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/adulted/ged/index.html �¯�¿�½Utah
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½Vermont
http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Adult/index.html �¯�¿�½Virginia
http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/ged/�¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½Washington
GED Administrator, West Virginia Department of Education, GED Office, (304) 558-6315 or (800) 642-2670 West Virginia
http://dpi.wi.gov/dae/ �¯�¿�½Wisconsin
http://www.wyomingworkforce.org/ �¯�¿�½Wyoming