GED Testing
On October 1, 2012, the price of GED testing will double. The new price will be $30 for each test and $150 for all five exams. Any payments made at the $15 fee before October 1 will be honored with a receipt through January 1, 2013.
A GED (General Education Development) certificate of equivalency is earned by successfully passing the following timed examinations:
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LANGUAGE ARTS - READING (65 minutes) Designed to measure ability in understanding, interpreting, and drawing conclusions from written material.(65 minutes) Designed to measure ability in understanding, interpreting, and drawing conclusions from written material.
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LANGUAGE ARTS - WRITING (2 parts - 120 minutes total) Designed to measure ability in standard written English. Along with a multiple choice test, applicants are required to write a short essay.
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MATHEMATICS (2 parts, 45 minutes each) Includes basic calculations in the range of arithmetic, word problems, with some algebra and geometry. Part One allows use of a calculator, Part Two does not.
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SCIENCE (80 minutes) Measures skills in the “proof” sciences: biology, chemistry, physics, and botany.
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SOCIAL STUDIES (70 minutes) Measures skills in areas such as history, civics, economics, and sociology.
GED test scores are reported in two ways, standard scores and percentile ranks.
Standard test scores on all five GED tests range from 200 to 800. A score of 500 represents the average performance of graduating high school seniors.
Percentile ranks on the GED tests are used to compare an individual's scores to those of a nationally representative sample of graduating high school seniors. A percentile rank is the percentage of graduating high school seniors who earned a standard score. This means that a GED examinee whose standard score on mathematics has a percentile rank of 62 has done as well as or better than 62 percent of graduating high school seniors in math.
Passing scores for the GED are established by the State of Washington. Currently a standard of 410 is a minimum requirement on each test. However, applicants must have an average of 450 on the five tests. You must earn at least 2250 points overall.
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You must attend an orientation before you begin GED testing. Orientation take place every Wednesday at 8:00 am and Thursdays at 5:00 pm.. Once you have completed our mandatory GED orientation you can often begin testing immediately, if you’ve followed the steps below. We have walk-in testing each week. On Wednesdays we test from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, and on Thursdays we test from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm, with a short break between 5:00 – 6:00 for orientation.
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You must pay $30.00 for each test, $150.00 total for all five GED Tests. This fee must be pre-paid to the Cashier in Bldg. 25. The receipt must be brought to the test session.
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Students must have photo identification: Driver’s License, Passport, State ID, Military ID., Veterans ID, Tribal ID, Court ID, or current South Puget Sound Community College ID. No exceptions will be made!
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If you are under the age of 19, you will need a completed Approval to Test Form, signed by a school official and parent/guardian. You can pick up this form at any local high school or at South Puget Sound Community College’s Information Center in Building 25. If you are homeschooled, you need a Notarized Statement Letter, which you can also pick up at the Information Center.
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Arrive early! Testing is held in the Testing Center, Portable M1, next to building 26. Child care is not available and children are not allowed in the test session.
** Should you require accommodations due to a documented Learning/Other Cognitive Disability, Physical/Chronic Health Disability, Emotional/Mental Health Disability or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder please contact the GED Examiner at (360) 596-5238 prior to testing so that paperwork can be filled out and processed, and the accommodations can be arranged.
All test answer sheets are faxed in by the end of the day. You must wait 24 hours before you can receive your scores in person.
- You can get pass/fail information and test scores by coming into the testing center with your photo ID, Monday- Thursday 8:00 am- 6:00 pm. No pass/fail information will be given over the phone.
- Your score for the Writing Skills test will be unavailable for approximately two weeks after you complete the test because the written essay is mailed to a professional panel for scoring. Your final Writing Skills score is a combination of your essay score and the multiple-choice score. You can call the testing center after 2:00 pm on the following Tuesday or Friday to find out if the test results are in for the Writing test.
- Due to regulations, test scores are never given over the phone.
- GED Transcript Request Form (pdf).
- You can also request test scores or duplicate completion certificates by faxing or by writing a letter to:
South Puget Sound Community College Testing Center
Attn: GED Examiner
2011 Mottman Rd. SW
Olympia, WA 98512
And include: name (under which you tested), social security number, address, phone number, date of birth, approximate date you took the test (month/year), and signature. You may also call the Washing GED State Board at (360) 704-4410 for duplicates of your certificate.
When you’ve successfully completed the GED, you will receive two documents within two weeks of the exam. The Official Transcript of Test Results and the Certificate of Educational Competence will be mailed to you. The Official Transcript of Test Results provides proof of your successful completion of the GED exam, which you may be asked to show to future employers, colleges, military, etc. Your Certificate is suitable for framing and a personal reminder of your accomplishment.
Practice GED exams can be found through South Puget Sound Community College’s Career Information Center (contact ), or on various sites on the internet, like: www.gedpractice.com or www.testprepreview.com/ged_practice.htm.
Also, the college's bookstore and many other local bookstores carry useful GED study guides.
There are GED Preparation courses available through South Puget Sound Community College’s Developmental Education Department. To enter these courses, please call (360) 596-5770 for more information.
