Your GED Scores: Understanding How They Work
If you intend to take the GED exam on the next scheduled testing date, you have to know how your efforts will be scored so you can reasonably assess how you will fare on the test. You have probably prepared enough for all of the five sections included in the test, and have brushed up your knowledge on the areas which need improvement. With all the required bases covered, it’s time to know how the GED scoring system works, and how you can use this knowledge to your advantage.
Although the required minimum passing score may differ in some areas, there is a set standard for the scoring system of the GED exam; this is established by the American Council on Education, the country’s authoritative GED agency. There is a scoring range of 200 to 800 for the GED test, and in order to pass, you need to answer at least sixty percent of the test items correctly. This translates to a minimum score of 410 for each of the five sections, and an overall average of 450 for the entire test. Your score for each of the five tests shouldn’t dip below 410, and your average score should be 450 at the very least. This means that even if you do make the minimum score of 410 on each test, you still need to accumulate more points in order to meet the exam average of 450; so try to rack up as much points in the more familiar areas to ensure that you’ll pass the test.
The essay-writing part of Language Arts in Writing uses a different scoring system. In here you are required to write an original essay within a time limit of forty-five minutes, and your score will make up forty percent of your total score for the entire section. Your score will be based on several criteria, including organization, the development of the main idea, effectiveness, and conciseness. The grammatical accuracy of the essay is also a basis for the score. Your essay should be able to meet two basic requirements as a result, the thoroughness and effectiveness of the piece, and the correct usage of English grammar.
Even though your GED score can efficiently provide you with an assessment of your academic aptitude when it comes to the five subject areas (Language Arts, both Reading and Writing, Math, Social Studies, and Science), it is not intended to be an all-inclusive evaluation of your full capability. Be assured though that if you pass the test, your knowledge is officially considered as at par with that of a high school graduate. If you intend to take the GED test as an entrance requirement for a college or university, you should initially ask about the institution’s minimum score requirements for admission, in addition to other necessary criteria. And if you have gone through all the trouble to take the test and fail to pass it the first time around, you can still make further attempts so long as you’re willing to. About half of all those who take the GED exam fail at the first attempt, usually for the sole reason that the topics they studied for were unfortunately not included in it. Make sure that you are well prepared on your next try by taking practice tests; you may buy these resources from a bookstore, or you may take them for free at online sites like passGED.com.