With the current GED® test series expiring next year....with a much harder GED® test arriving in January 2014...with the conversion to computer-based testing (CBT), most likely in 2013 (with associated increased testing fees and need for basic computer skills to type the essay and take the test on computer)...NOW is the time to study for and pass the entire GED® test!
Especially for those who have passed parts of the five subject area tests of the current GED® test but still need to pass other subject areas or to attain the 2,250-point total score required for the mandatory 450 score average, 2012 should be their focus to achieve the goal of obtaining a GED® credential.
The national GED Testing Service® is planning for official GED® testing centers to switch from pencil-and-paper testing to computer-based testing in 2013 on the current test series. If you don’t know how to use the computer, or don’t feel comfortable composing and typing the 45-minute timed essay on the Writing test on-screen, now is your time to take the GED® test while pencil-and-paper is still the primary delivery method. There are no plans to ever offer the GED® test “online.” The test vendor will have test registration and fee payment only online. Candidates need a credit or debit card to sign up to test by computer, which is currently being piloted at four sites in Mississippi this year. Pencil-and-paper testing is currently $15 per subject area test ($75 for the entire test battery) and $24 per subject area test for CBT ($120 for the entire test). Be very careful not to be taken in by fraudulent websites or other entities offering a fake high school diploma or an online GED® credential. Even after CBT becomes the primary method of GED® testing, candidates must still go to a computer lab at an official testing center to take the test. The 2014 test series will be based on computer delivery and local testing centers will not possess a pencil-and-paper copy. Test taking strategies will not be effective to succeed on the 2014 series, because fewer questions will be multiple choice. CBT for 2014 will allow for short answer, fill-in-the-blank and other test question formats not available using pencil-and-paper testing. Information about computer-based testing is online at www.gedcbt.org/faq.html.
Current series partial scores will expire at the end of 2013 unless the entire GED® test is passed by that time. Don't wait...there are only three (3) chances each calendar year to take each subject area test (Language Arts: Writing, Language Arts: Reading, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science). According to Valinda Smith, GED Chief ExaminerTM at the Grenada Adult Education Center, “Many who have taken the GED test at our official testing center here have passed parts of their test and lack very little to get their credential, sometimes only 10 points on the mathematics test. They need to study and then to retest. GED® examinees who are not students in the Grenada Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program often study on their own without taking advantage of the free classes here to prepare them to succeed. They spread their efforts at multiple retesting over several years. Time is quickly running out on that strategy.”
If you are an adult who needs a Mississippi high equivalency credential, don't wait. Allow yourself time to achieve your goal. As the December 2013 deadline gets closer, testing seats nationwide will be filled with last-minute test-takers who will be praying that they pass and don't need to study then retest. We’ve been here before. In 2001, GED test-taking increased exponentially nationwide just before the current 2002 test series was released. Partial scores from the previous series were discarded at the end of December 2001. Many of those who waited until Fall 2001 risked needing to study and then retest in one or more subject area and then ran out of time or had used up their 3 chances.
Those who do not pass the current series will become first-time examinees on the 2014 test series and have to test in all subject areas. The new test is based on the national common core standards that are being phased into high schools now and the 21st Century Workforce Initiative, with an emphasis on career and college readiness. Much more study will be needed by most adults to prepare to succeed on the 2014 test. For instance, a 25-minute writing assignment is being added to the Social Studies test and 55% of the new math test will focus on algebraic problem-solving (up from 25% on the current test series). More information about the 2014 test is online at gedtestingservice.com/assessment.
The Grenada Adult Education Center (at 423 South Line Street) will be closed March 12th-16th for spring break week. New adult learner orientation for the next session of free classes will be at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, March 19th, for the morning classes. Late registration and orientation for morning classes will be at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20th; last chance at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the 21st. Evening class new student orientation will be at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20th, and late registration/orientation on Thursday, March 22nd. Spread the word—”Don’t wait until August to prepare! Time is running out!” Examinees may need multiple chances at retesting this year AND next year to succeed.
The deadline for signup to take the GED test in March (including paying testing fees and completing your testing file) is at noon on Tuesday, March 20th. Space is limited to 14 seats and testing is regularly offered once a month.
For more information, call the Grenada Adult Education Center at 227-6101 or 226-7462 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. , except for lunch, on Mondays through Thursdays or on Friday mornings.
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