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General Educational Development (GED) in Alabama
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Introduction. The Chancellor, Department of Postsecondary
Education may award a State of Alabama High School Equivalency
Diploma to you if you meet the eligibility requirements and
attain a standard score of not less than four hundred ten (410)
on each of the five (5) tests comprising the GED Test battery
AND an average standard score of not less than four hundred
fifty (450) on the test battery (2250 total points). Policies
and score requirements may change without prior notice and may
be supplemented by other policies of the GED Testing Service.
What are the GED Tests? The first GED Tests were
developed in 1942 to help returning World War II veterans finish
their studies and re-enter civilian life. Recognized throughout
North America, the GED Testing Program has served as a bridge to
education and employment for an estimated 15.2 million people
over its 60-year history. About one in seven high school
diplomas issued in the United States each year is based on
passing the GED Tests. Developed by the American Council on
Education’s GED Testing Service, the Tests of General
Educational Development (GED Tests) are designed to measure the
major and lasting academic outcomes students normally acquired
by completing a typical high school program of study. Each of
the five tests uses a multiple-choice question format. In
addition, every GED candidate must also satisfactorily complete
a timed essay on an assigned topic in order to pass the GED
Tests. Each of the five tests in the GED Tests battery is
developed from specifications established by experienced
secondary school and adult educators and is reviewed by
subject-matter experts. Every test question undergoes multiple
reviews by test specialists and external content specialists and
is evaluated for fairness. Each question is also field-tested
before becoming part of a final test form. The GED Tests are
standardized on a regular basis using a national stratified
random sample of graduating high school seniors, tested in the
spring of their senior year. These seniors establish the
performance standard required for candidates to earn a GED
credential. Equating studies ensure comparability across
different forms of the GED Tests. The standard score scale for
the GED Tests is derived directly from the performance of
graduating high school seniors. Standard scores, and the
accompanying percentile ranks, provide the vehicle for comparing
the performance of GED candidates to the performance of
graduating high school seniors. In order to pass the GED Tests,
the GED candidate must currently demonstrate a level of skill
that meets or surpasses that of the top 60 percent of graduating
high school seniors.
Test Area Number of Questions Time Limit
- Language Arts, Writing, Part I 50 75 minutes
- Language Arts, Writing, Part II 1 essay 45 minutes
- Social Studies 50 70 minutes
- Science 50 80 minutes
- Language Arts, Reading 40 65 minutes
- Mathematics 50 90 minutes
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