What Does the GED Measure?
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by Leonard Williams
The GED test is a high school equivalency exam. But what does that mean? How can a test be the equivalent of high school? And what is it, exactly, that we expect high school graduates to know?
Over 39 million disenfranchised American adults have no high school diploma, and so the doors to higher education and better job opportunities are closed to them. As a group, these Americans make about $350,000 less in their lifetimes than high school graduates or people with GEDs. Instead of moving the economy and their lives forward, Americans without high school degrees. The most widely accepted option for adults without a high school degree is a GED—a high school equivalency exam. What is this examination? What is the GED really testing? Can it truly be the equivalent of high school?
The skills that the GED is designed to measure are core skills that all high school students should learn, including communication, mathematics, problem solving, critical thinking, evaluation, and information processing. The GED test designers identify skills that are demanded by employers and by colleges or vocational schools, and the GED test is created to measure these real-life skills. According to the American Council of Education (ACE), a successful GED candidate must score better than 40 percent of traditional high school graduates.
The GED test is divided into five sections: reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The GED tests competency in understanding important documents and communicating through writing—essential skills in any workplace or learning environment. It also tests fundamental math concepts, which are important in dealing with financial management and business issues which affect all adults.
However, perhaps the most important skills that the GED measures are thinking skills. Most GED questions are not focused on knowledge of facts. Instead, many questions on the GED measure the test-taker’s ability to carefully think through a problem and use reasoning to come to a correct answer. GED test-takers are asked to use critical thinking, problem solving, evaluation, and analysis skills, along with fundamental knowledge of the nature of science, language, math, and social sciences. Because thinking skills can be applied to any discipline or workplace, these are the most crucial skills for any adult to master.
This is good news for the GED test-taker. It means that studying for, and passing, the GED doesn’t need to involve memorizing four years’ worth of high school textbooks. Instead, GED test-takers can focus their learning on essential skills. It’s also good news for employers. The ACE states that many employers find that they “get a more educated, more committed workforce” by hiring GED graduates.
Michael Ormsby, president of The GED Academy, cites test preparation as the most important component in passing the GED. A wide variety of GED study programs are available, including test prep books, classes at adult learning centers, workplace programs, and local college programs. However, Ormbsby warns, “Be wary of any program that claims to award a GED or high school diploma through an online test. These ‘diplomas’ are usually worthless.”
About 95% of colleges and employers accept a GED credential, opening closed doors for the millions of adult Americans who never completed high school.
For more information about the GED test or GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy.