About the ged writing exam 4 docx

In the Language Arts, Writing Exam, grammar questions focus on issues spe-cific to the Spanish language, such as gender agreement and multiple-object pronouns.. The Language Arts, Writin

 W h o Ta k e s t h e G E D — a n d W h y

The 860,000 people who take the GED each year are a

very diverse group who come from a rich variety of

back-grounds As different as their situations and experiences

may be, their main reasons for taking the GED are the

same Passing the GED:

■ enables them to apply to colleges and universities

■ allows them to apply for jobs or promotions that

require a high school diploma

■ demonstrates to others the importance of

education

■ is a significant accomplishment that improves

self-esteem

GED candidates range in age from 16 to over 60 The

ACE’s publication Who Took the GED? reports that

slightly over half the GED candidates in 2001 were

between the ages of 20 and 39, with an average age of

25.2 years Two-thirds of the test takers reported

com-pleting tenth grade; one-third had completed their

jun-ior or senjun-ior years Nearly two-thirds of the test takers

reported plans to pursue higher education after earning

their GED diploma

More GEDs Than Ever

2001 was a record year for the GED—over one

million people took all or part of the exams The

record number was partly due to the new GED

2002 test series Test takers had to complete

the old GED by December 31, 2001, or else

begin all over with the new exam Of the

979,829 adults who took all five exams,

669,403 (68%) earned their high school

equiv-alency diplomas

 G E D E l i g i b i l i t y R e q u i r e m e n t s

GED candidates must first meet certain eligibility

requirements set by the ACE and participating states and

territories You are eligible to take the GED if you meet

the following conditions:

1 You are not enrolled in high school AND

2 You have not graduated from high school AND

3 You are at least 16 years of age AND

4 You meet the requirements of your state,

province, or territory regarding age, residency, and the length of time since leaving school Arkansas, for example, requires that you be a “legal resident”

of the state, which means that you must spend most of your time in Arkansas, pay property taxes, and possess a valid Arkansas driver’s license or state-issued identification card Kentucky’s eligi-bility requirements vary depending upon the can-didate’s age Be sure to check with your state department of education or your local testing cen-ter for specific eligibility requirements

There are approximately 3,400 GED testing centers around the world These centers are typically operated by local school boards, community colleges, and/or centers for adult education Test takers outside the United States, Canada, or their territories may be able to take the GED

at a Thomson Prometric facility

Because test centers are run locally, registration pro-cedures, fees, and testing times vary You need to contact the center where you would like to take the tests to find specific registration, fee, and test time information

If you live inside the United States, Canada, or their territories, you can find the testing center nearest you by:

1 Calling 1-800-62-MY-GED OR

2 Checking in the blue pages of your local

tele-phone book (look for “GED Testing” under the state department of education listing) OR

3 Going to

www.acenet.edu/clll/ged/area-contacts-TT.cfm From there, select your specific area to find out how to contact your local testing center

 I n t e r n a t i o n a l Te s t i n g

If you live outside the United States, Canada, or their territories, you can still take the GED through one of Thomson Prometric’s testing centers Thomson Promet-ric, in partnership with the ACE, offers a computer-based GED and a high school diploma through the state of

Maine If you reside outside the United States, Canada,

or their territories and wish to take the online exam, you

must be at least 17 years old

For more information on international testing for

the GED, contact 866-776-6387 or Thomson Prometric,

1000 Lancaster Street, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21202

Ask for the Regional Registration Center in your

country or province Or visit their website at www

prometric.com

Thomson Prometric has testing centers available in

the following regions:

■ Australia/New Zealand

■ China

■ Europe

■ India

■ Indonesia

■ Japan

■ Korea

■ Latin America/Caribbean

■ Middle East/North Africa

■ Pakistan

■ Southeast Asia

■ Sub-Sahara/Africa

■ Taiwan

■ Thailand

 S p a n i s h a n d F r e n c h Ve r s i o n s o f

t h e G E D

In addition to the standard English version of the GED,

there are also Spanish and French versions, initially

devel-oped for Puerto Rico and Canada, respectively These tests

are now authorized for use throughout the United States

but may not be available in all areas and are not available

at international testing centers (international GED

can-didates must take the English version) A new version of

both the Spanish and French GEDs went into effect on

January 1, 2004 Any partial scores from individual

Span-ish or French exams taken prior to December 31, 2003,

are invalid, and candidates must take the complete battery

of new exams

exception that the examples and test questions are based

on Spanish language and culture In the Language Arts, Reading Test, all excerpts are from Spanish-language writers with an emphasis on writers from the Caribbean and Central and South America In the Language Arts, Writing Exam, grammar questions focus on issues spe-cific to the Spanish language, such as gender agreement and multiple-object pronouns The essay is scored by readers whose first language is Spanish or who are sec-ondary or college-level Spanish instructors

The French GED

The French GED also follows the English GED in format and structure Like the Spanish GED, it draws its ques-tions and context from French language and culture Most measurement questions use the metric system Essays on the French exam are scored by readers whose first language is French or who have taught French at the secondary or college level

 S p e c i a l A c c o m m o d a t i o n s

Special testing accommodations are available for GED candidates with documented disabilities that may affect their ability to pass the GED These accommodations include:

■ testing in English-language Braille

■ testing by audiocassette

■ large-print test editions

■ extended time

■ frequent, supervised breaks

■ use of a calculator or scribe

■ private testing rooms

Dictionaries and spell checkers are not permitted, nor is

having someone read the questions aloud to the candidate

If you will need special accommodations to take the GED, request the appropriate form from your local test-ing center:

■ Form L-15 for learning disabilities and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Once you have completed the form and provided the

necessary documentation, return the form to your GED

testing center Be sure to request and complete this form

well in advance of your test date to allow sufficient time

for processing

 G E D Te s t i n g F e e s

Fees for the GED vary widely In some states, you can

take the GED exams at no charge; in others, all testing

centers charge the same fee (usually between $20–$80);

and in others, individual testing centers determine their

own fees (also usually between $20–$80) In

Pennsylva-nia, for example, the fee varies from $25–$55, depending

upon the location of the center In Georgia, the fee at any

testing center is $55

 W h e n t h e Te s t A r e O f f e r e d

Each test center determines when and how often it will

offer the GED exams Some centers may offer the tests

only two or three times a year; others offer them much

more frequently The Paterson Adult and Continuing

Education Center in Paterson, NJ, for example, offers the

tests two or three times a month The Aurora Public

High School System in Aurora, CO, on the other hand,

offers the tests every Thursday and two Saturdays each

month Contact your local testing center to see when the

tests will be offered If the dates and times are

inconven-ient, check other centers nearby Their offerings may

bet-ter fit your schedule

 H o w t h e Te s t s A r e S c o r e d

Each of the five GED tests is scored separately on a

stan-dard scale of 200 to 800 points Each correct answer is

worth one point, but because the individual tests have

different numbers of questions, the score for each test is

converted to this 200–800 standard This allows the

scores on all five tests to be compared The Language

Arts, Writing Test score is a statistical combination of the scores for the multiple-choice questions and the essay, but a high score on Part I is no longer enough to pass the

exam Since 2002, candidates must pass both parts of the

test in order to pass the Language Arts, Writing Exam The GED score reflects an estimate of your skills and knowledge in each content area as compared to recent high school graduates Your score will be reported in two ways: a number from 200–800 and a percentage The percentage indicates how your score compares with the performance of graduating high school students If your percentile rank is 85, for example, that means you have scored better than 85% of graduating high school sen-iors Here’s a more detailed example:

Language Arts, Writing 606 Social Studies 688 Science 490 Language Arts, Reading 621 Mathematics 552 Average Overall Score 591 Percentile Rank 81%

What Is a Passing Score?

The minimum score required to pass the GED and earn the GED diploma is set by individual states, provinces, and territories The passing score is usually a

combina-tion of both a minimum score per test and a minimum

average score overall Most testing jurisdictions use the

passing score set by the GED Testing Service:

■ a minimum score of 410 on each test

■ a minimum average score of 450 overall

If you answer approximately 60–65% of the questions correctly, you should receive a standard score of about

410 points per exam

Enough to Pass

In most states, you must score 410 on each

exam and an average score of 450 overall in

order to pass the GED

Getting Your Scores

How and when you get your GED results will also vary

from testing center to testing center Most centers,

how-ever, will mail your results for all tests except Language

Arts, Writing in 2–4 weeks Scoring of the essay part of the

exam typically takes longer, so you may have to wait 4–6

weeks for those test results Some centers may also post

test scores or provide a number to call for test results

Getting Your Diploma

Most states will automatically issue your diploma if you

pass the GED The names of candidates with passing

scores are forwarded to the state department of

educa-tion, and you can expect to receive your diploma in the

mail in approximately 6–8 weeks

Retaking the GED

Fortunately, if you do not pass the full battery of tests or

would like to improve your score, you can retake the

GED Most states allow you to retake the tests two or

three times within a specified time period Often, you

can retest only after you have completed all five exams

New Jersey, for example, allows GED candidates to retake

the tests two times, with no additional fee, within six

months of the initial testing date and no more than three

times within one year Georgia’s retesting policy, on the

other hand, depends upon the candidate’s scores If the

candidate earned an average standard score of 430 or

more, he or she may retake the tests at any time If the

candidate’s score was between 400–429, the candidate

must wait three months or provide evidence of remedial

study before retaking the exams Candidates scoring

below 400 must wait six months or present evidence of

remedial study before retaking the tests

Check with your state or providence to find out the

regulations regarding retesting Also, be sure to check

 T h e S t r u c t u r e o f t h e G E D

Each of the five GED tests contains 40–50 multiple-choice questions, with the exception of the mathematics exam, which also contains 25% “alternate format” ques-tions (this will be explained further in Chapter 40) The Language Arts, Writing Test also contains an essay sec-tion The time allotted for each test varies from 45 min-utes (essay) to 90 minmin-utes (math exam) The table on the next page describes the basic structure of the exams, including length, number of questions, and type of ques-tions You will learn more about the kinds of questions

on each exam as you read Parts II–VI

 T h e G E D 2 0 0 2

A new battery of GED exams went into effect on January

1, 2002 The tests were revised to include a greater emphasis on higher-level thinking skills such as critical analysis and to incorporate reading skills on all of the tests, especially the science and social studies exams Other specific changes include:

■ more questions about interpreting graphics, espe-cially on the math, science, and social studies exams

■ inclusion of business documents and more com-plete documents (instead of excerpts)

■ revised scoring of the Language Arts, Writing Test,

so that the essay is now scored separately, making writing skills essential for passing the GED

■ an increase in the percentage of questions about history on the social studies exam

■ allowing the use of calculators for Part I of the math exam (test centers supply all candidates with a Casio FX-260 Solar Calculator)—both parts of the test are weighted equally and both must be completed to pass the exam

■ inclusion of “alternate format” questions on the math exam (questions that require students to respond in a format other than multiple choice)

■ more questions about higher math concepts (stu-dents must know more than arithmetic to pass the math exam)

NUMBER OF GED TESTS QUESTIONS SUBTOPIC/TYPE OF QUESTION TIME LENGTH

Language Arts, 50 Multiple choice: 75 minutes Writing, Part I 30% sentence structure

30% usage 25% mechanics 15% organization Language Arts, 1 Essay 45 minutes Writing, Part II

Social Studies 50 Multiple choice: 70 minutes

40% history (25% national history, 15% world history) 25% civics and government

20% economics 15% geography Science 50 Multiple choice: 80 minutes

45% life science 35% physical science 20% Earth and space science Language Arts, 40 Multiple choice: 65 minutes Reading 30–35% analysis

30–35% synthesis 20% comprehension 15% application 75% literary texts 25% nonfiction Mathematics, 50 Multiple choice (80%) and 90 minutes Parts I and II alternate format (20%):

(Note: A standard 75% calculations

calculator is per- 25% set-up (determining the correct way

mitted for Part I of to solve the problem)

the math test Cal- 20–30% geometry and measurement

culators are provided 20–30% number operations and number sense

at the test site No 20–30% algebra, functions, and patterns

calculators are per- 20–30% data analysis, statistics, and probability

mitted for Part II.)

Total: 240 + essay 7 hours, 5 minutes