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New GED test starts next year

2 min read

Students in the process of completing the General Education Development test – more commonly known as the GED – might want to step up their studies. A more rigorous test will go into effect next year, and GED applicants who have not completed all five parts of the test by December will be required to start over with the new test.

The state Department of Education announced that the 2014 GED test will be a “better indicator of high school equivalency and college and career readiness,” according to a press release. In an effort to make the GED more time- and cost-effective, the new test will be condensed into four parts and will be available only in a computer format. Paper tests will still be available for individuals with disabilities or other special requirements.

However, Rachel Zilcosky, coordinator of adult education at Intermediate Unit 1 in Coal Center, said the test will not be cheaper for the GED applicant. She said the IU1 center currently charges $75 per test, at its own discretion, but the GED testing service has established a fixed rate of $120 per test for all centers beginning in January.

She also said the shift away from pencil and paper tests will affect several testing centers in the region that do not have certified computer labs, and that GED applicants – especially those in the Mon Valley and Greene County – might have to travel farther to take their tests.

Tim Eller, press secretary for the state Department of Education, said the GED testing service has been in the process of improving the test since 2009. The current model has been used since 2002, and it is the fourth version that has been developed by the testing service, according to its website.

The new test will include more in-depth material in subjects including reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. Eller said these changes will better prepare young adults for higher standards across the board in education and the workplace.

“With the changing environment, the changing economy, the changing jobs climate and the more global our economy becomes, students that are graduating from high school today are meeting high academic standards,” Eller said, “so this is a good shift to ensure that those seeking their GED are graduating, or completing their GED, with quality academic credentials.”

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