GED Colorado

The GED or General Educational Development test is a test that measures one's academic knowledge and is administered to those seeking to obtain what is commonly referred to as a high school equivalency diploma. For those unable or unwilling to finish high school for various reasons, the GED is a way for them to either continue their education or to find employment, as most jobs aren't open to those without a high school diploma or the equivalent. In addition, in order to attend most trade schools or community colleges in Colorado, or even to enlist in the military, a high school diploma or GED is required.

The test is actually made up of a battery of five tests which are comprised of reading, writing, mathematics, social studies and science. Sometimes, high school students leave school and immediately take the GED and therefore need no further studying or preparation, but many times those who take this test have been out of school for many years - sometimes decades - and need to prepare for a while to take the test.

In most districts where the GED is administered there is a fee attached, often as much as $100, so those who take the test have a vested interest in passing it. It can be taken again, of course, but each test that must be repeated has a fee attached to it.

Obtaining one's GED opens doors to employment and higher education, although sometimes people take this test more for the feeling of accomplishment than to go on to higher education or employment.

There are many resources available to those who wish to take the GED. There is a plethora of online and community resources in Colorado, many of them free, which aid those who need to study for the test. Those pursuing their GED’s can and should take all the time they need to prepare for it in order to pass it on the first attempt.

The GED is comprised of five tests: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. The entire test, with the exception of writing an essay and a small portion of the Mathematics test, consists of multiple choice questions. Each test is timed, and if the student fails one or more of the tests, only the failed tests have to be re-taken. According to the American Council on Education, in order to pass the GED a minimum score of 410 and an average score of 450 for each of the five tests for a combined overall score of 2250 is required. The lowest score one can achieve on an individual test is 200 while the highest score is 800.

There are more than 2,800 locations worldwide, including locations specific to military personnel, foreign nationals, and United States citizens located abroad where the GED test is administered. Test-takers must be at least 16 years of age. There are certain eligibility requirements that you can ascertain by contacting local educational entities. The GED test is available in English, Spanish, French, and Braille. In 2000 alone more than half a million people took and passed the GED. It has been estimated that about one in every seven high school diplomas is in fact a GED.

Once you pass the GED test you'll receive your diploma and a transcript of your scores in the mail. You should also receive a letter explaining how the scores are calculated. Keep this paperwork in a safe place, because you may be asked to provide your transcript when seeking higher education or, sometimes, employment.

While we tend to think of the GED as a test, it is actually comprised of five tests, each of which is designed to measure a person's knowledge in a specific area. For example, the science test is comprised of 50 multiple-choice questions covering life science, earth and space science, and physical science. Knowing this ahead of time can help the student selectively study for the exam.

The social studies test covers a broad area including geography, world history, American history, civics, government and economics. While one could potentially get bogged down by trying to study all of those subjects in preparation for the test, by utilizing GED test prep materials and resources one can better narrow down the appropriate materials from which to study.

The reading part of the GED is probably one of the easiest parts of the test, simply because there are no certain answers one can memorize or study ahead of time. This part of the test measures reading comprehension. There are 40 questions about provided passages that the student must read. Knowing how this part of the test works is important, however, because it is still helpful to the student to practice reading passages and answering sample questions about them to become familiar with this particular part of the test.

The Mathematics test covers such mathematical operations as algebra, geometry, fractions, decimals, and both metric and American measurement systems.

The Writing test is broken up into two parts, the second of which is the composition of an essay while the first part focuses on things like sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation, with the student being asked to correct and/or insert the correct punctuation.

Because much of the entire GED test is about knowing what to do in given situations as opposed to merely memorizing dates and such, preparing for the test is essential. If you're being asked to correct the punctuation of sentences, for example, and you've been out of school for some time, it will be much more difficult to pass the test if you bypass studying.