GED Test Study Guides

The tests of General Education Development, also called the GED, are used to measure the academic knowledge acquired by persons who have not completed a high school curriculum. Some students may drop out of school while others may face certain hardships that prevent them from completing high school. Whatever the reason for not completing high school, most students discover that a high school diploma is essential for obtaining a long-term career. GED tests allow people to obtain a high school diploma by taking and passing a multi-part test.
The GED consists of five multiple-choice tests plus a timed essay test. The five subject areas covered by the GED test are Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Reading, and Mathematics. Each area covers the material that high school students learn during that particular course of study.
The GED test is created by the collaborative efforts of secondary school educators, adult educators, and subject matter experts. In order to ensure the fairness and accuracy of the GED tests, each question is scrutinized by test specialists.
In order to create a test that most accurately reflects the content students learn in high school, the GED is standardized on a regular basis. The standardizing procedure uses the test scores of a stratified random sample of graduating high school students who are tested in the spring of their senior year. The scores of these students are used as the performance standard that must be matched by students attempting the GED.
GED tests were first developed in 1942 as a means to allow World War II veterans to complete high school. According to the Digest of Education Statistics and GEDTS statistics, 1 of every 9 high school diplomas is a GED credential. Statistics also reveal that 1 out of every 20 first-year college students are GED graduates.
The GED test will be undergoing its biggest change ever quite soon. In 2014 a completely redesigned GED exam will be unveiled, and it is expected to be much harder to pass. Rest assured that all the information on this site is up to date with the current test.