California GED Test Programs
Dr. Richard Diaz
GED Administrator
State GED Office
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 5408
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 445-9438
California GED Information
Am I Eligible to Take the GED Test for California?
Eligibility to participate in California GED testing.
You are eligible to take the GED test if you are a resident of California and meet any one of the following criteria:
1. The
individual is 18 years of age or older, or within 60 days of his or her 18th
birthday (regardless of school enrollment status).
2. The
individual must be within 60 days of when he or she would have graduated from
high school had he or she remained in school and followed the usual course of
study (please note that examinees testing under this criteria may not be
enrolled in school).
3. The
individual is 17 years of age, has been out of school for at least 60
consecutive school days, and provides a letter of request for the test from the
military, a post-secondary educational institution or a prospective employer.
4. The
individual is 17 years of age and is incarcerated in a California state or
county correctional facility; persons testing under these conditions must meet
all of the following criteria:
a) The
examinee does not have a realistic chance of completing the requirements for a
high school diploma.
b) The
examinee has adequate academic skills to successfully complete the GED test
battery.
c) The
examinee understands the options available regarding acquisition of a high
school diploma, the high school equivalency certificate or the high school
proficiency certificate, and the
requirements, expectations, benefits, and
limitations of each option.
d) The
examinee has sufficient commitment time left to complete the entire GED test
battery; however, if released before the test is completed, the examinee may
complete testing at an authorized testing center.
Persons who pass the GED test at age 17 will not receive
the equivalency certificate until their 18th birthday; a letter of intent is
issued which states that the certificate is being held pending the examinee's
18th birthday.
GED
Office | GEDoffic@cde.ca.gov | 916-445-9438
What ID is Necessary to Take the GED Test?
Identification needed to take the GED test in the State
of California.
All GED candidates requesting to take the GED Tests must
document identity with valid identification when they appear at the test
center, both at the time of registration and at the time of testing.
The identification must be current and include the
examinee's name, date of birth, photograph, address and signature.
How is the Test Scheduled and What is the Cost?
GED test schedule and costs.
Testing schedules are determined by local testing
centers; the California State GED Office does not maintain detailed scheduling
information for individual centers. However, testing centers usually offer the
test several times each month over a one- to three-day period (the entire test
takes about seven-and-a-half hours to complete).
Testing fees are also determined by local testing
centers; the State GED Office does not maintain fee information for individual
centers. On the average, though, testing centers will charge approximately $100
to take the entire test, though some centers will charge a higher or lower
amount. Most centers will also charge a fee if all or part of the test must be
re-taken.
GED Testing center fees include state and national fees
plus the cost of materials, the cost of scoring the essay portion of the test,
and some of the costs of test administration.
How Will I Know if I Passed or Failed the GED Test?
Information on how to pass the test and what to do if
failed.
Completed GED tests are forwarded to a centralized
scoring location in Concord, California, and the results are posted to a secure
internet site.Only authorized staff at
Official GED Testing Centers have access to this site. The GED scoring site mails the High School
Equivalency Certificate and an Official Report of Test Results to examinees who
pass the test.
The testing center mails
an unofficial transcript to examiness who fail or do not complete the test.
GED scores for each subtest are reported as
"standard scores" which range from 200 to 800 and percentile ranks
ranging from 1 to 99; higher scores result from correctly answering more test
questions.
To pass the GED Test in California, examinees must:
1. Receive a
standard score of at least 410 on each of the five GED subtests, and
2. Earn an
average standard score of 450 or higher.
If an examinee does not meet both these criteria for
passing, the test is failed. The examinee may retake all or part of the test to
attain passing scores. Testing centers may require examinees who fail the test
to take preparation classes or wait a pre-determined amount of time before
attempting to re-test. GED Examinees may test a maximum of three times on a
given test in a single year.
Examinees who pass should receive the California High
School Equivalency Certificate and an Official Report of Test Results within
six to eight weeks from when they complete the test and it is submitted for
scoring.
How can I get copies of my records?
Finding test-taker records for the General Educational
Development (GED) test.
As of January 18, 2005, the Educational Testing Service
(ETS) - GED Records Center handles all requests for duplicate records in
California.Toll-free 866-370-4740 ETS - GED Records Center
P. O. Box 4005
Concord, CA 94524-4005
Accommodations available for GED examinees with
disabilities?
Yes. If a GED exam inee has a specific learning
disability, an emotional disability, an attention deficit disorder, or a
physical disability, accommodations are available.
To request accommodations, contact the testing center at
least 30 days before you plan to test. The testing center must submit a form to
the State GED Office requesting the testing accommodation.
Testing accommodations can include (but are not limited
to) additional time to complete the test, one-on-one testing sessions, or a
schedule of breaks. The GED Test is available in a large print format, in
Braille, and on audiocassette.
How Can I Prepare for the GED Test?
Help with GED test preparation.
GED preparation materials are available at most local
bookstores and public libraries. There are also Websites that have preparation
programs available. Most adult schools in California offer GED preparation
classes as well. For information on adult school programs in your area, contact
your local school district office.
My GED Note: You cannot take the GED test online
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