The GED Testing Service (GEDTS), a program of the American Council on Education (ACE), recently issued a warning about fake online GEDs. The warning reminds, “Please be advised that the GED credential cannot be earned via the Internet nor through correspondence programs.” The GED Tests are only available at official GED Testing Centers.
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The Better Business Bureau is investigating online diploma mills, those websites that offer quick and easy “high school diplomas” if you take an online test (for a fee, of course). So, how easy is it? Oreo C. Collins, a black and white cat from Macon, Georgia, owned by Kevin Collins, CEO of Georgia’s Better Business Bureau, earned a “high school diploma” from a diploma website. Though Oreo had a little help answering the online quiz, the diploma mill apparently had no qualms about issuing a “high school diploma” to a feline–for a fee, of course. Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re wondering about the GED, you probably need your high school diploma. The GED is a second chance for people who never graduated high school. How does it work? The GED exam is made up of 5 tests, in reading, writing, science, social studies, and math. After passing the GED exam at an official GED test center, your state department of education awards you a diploma. The GED diploma is accepted by almost all U.S. colleges and employers, including the U.S. military and police academies across the country. Read the rest of this entry »
The Internet offers a lot of options. It offers convenience and personalization. But it’s riddled with fraud: fake e-mails from banks or the IRS, pleas for international assistance promising wealth, and dishonest buyers and sellers on E-bay. Now, online education is blighted with its own scam artists: fake high schools. 39 million Americans need a high school diploma to get better jobs and higher education, and they are becoming victims of websites that prey on their needs.
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Fake GED diploma scams are a growing problem as the job market becomes more competitive and demanding. The pressing need for GEDs gives scammers an opening. So, beware and fight back.
Recently, New York Attorney General Mario Cuomo has gone after Robert Collins for reportedly offering fake at-home GEDs. The real GED cannot be earned in an online or at-home test. Cuomo says: “This man has repeatedly preyed upon Long Island and New York City residents who are simply trying to better themselves and increase their career opportunities.”
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by Leonard Williams
The Internet has brought with it many kinds of fraud: fake e-mails from banks or the IRS, pleas for international assistance promising wealth, and dishonest buyers and sellers on E-bay. Now, online education is blighted with its own scam artists: fake high schools.
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by Leonard Williams
In our modern society, we expect convenience and immediacy. Technology has made online banking, online classes, and online living a part of daily life. Many people looking for high school diplomas are asking: why isn’t there an online GED test?
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By Leonard Williams
For today’s student, distance learning can provide a valuable and affordable way to work toward a GED, the best way for an adult to demonstrate the skills learned by the average high school graduate. But there are a growing number of companies and schools who aren’t really in the business of education. Instead, they’re in the education business — their biggest business is selling quick and easy programs or simple online tests that come with worthless transcripts and fake diplomas.
In most cases, the GED — the term for General Education Development credential — is the only official ‘diploma’ that has value and is meaningful for adults who never completed their high school education. There are exceptions. But as a rule most transcripts and diplomas ordered or obtained from online high schools are worthless. Unfortunately, students and adult learners are often misled — and easily misled — by these diploma factories or diploma mills. Here’s a recent letter from a new GED student, who learned about one education business the hard way:
“I paid $250 and got this paper in the mail, but it didn’t help me get a better job. It was a ripoff. It wasn’t till my boss told me that I found out it wasn’t a real high school. It wasn’t even a real high school diploma, just something somebody made on a computer. But it looked like a real school. With a real test.”
This student’s story is typical and more common every day. Many adult learners fall victim to diploma scams, usually paying $200 to $800 in tuition, testing, and transcript or diploma fees. But because the school or program isn’t accredited, the diploma has no value … it’s meaningless. When it comes to employers, job training programs, tech school, community colleges and universities, bogus diplomas are useless.
But a GED credential is useful. For today’s 39 million or more adults in the US who never graduated from high school, passing the GED test is a passkey to both career and educational opportunities. Approximately 95 percent of employers and 97 percent of US colleges and universities accept the GED because it really is an official, accredited ‘diploma.’ It’s meaningful, and it has real value.
When choosing an education program, a student’s best bet is a GED solution, whether enrolling in a local class, an online preparation program or managing self-guided study through the selection of quality study materials. If online learning or distance learning is the best solution for you, look for a program, class or choose materials that include all the components needed to prepare for the GED test.
Here are some guidelines for choosing a real online GED program provider and avoiding bogus schools or fake diploma scams:
The American Council on Education (ACE), GED Testing Service, has tight guidelines for the GED. The test covers science, social studies, language arts reading and writing, and math – including algebra, geometry and data analysis. Find a program that includes all testing areas; avoid any solution or school that doesn’t include all test areas or information about test areas and ACE requirements. Learn more at www.gedtest.org.
GED Practice Tests are available online and are a good way for a student to determine what to study to get ready for the test. But the real GED test cannot be taken online! The test is only given at official test sites. So avoid any company that claims to offer the official GED test or a quick online version for a diploma. For a listing of official test sites and state contacts, visit.
More Resources
For additional GED study tips, test information and free resources on the GED test, including financial aid and student support, visit passGED.com. The website also provides links to federal agencies and nonprofits that serve GED students, instructors and workforce development programs. For a list of official GED testing sites and administrative contacts, visit Test Sites.
©2006 Essential Education Corporation. / www.passGED.com
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