WVABE - What is the GED ?

What is the GED?

The General Educational Development (GED) exam has been developed to allow adults a "second chance" to prove acquisition of contemporary high school skills and life skills. For the thousands of West Virginians who have not completed high school, the issuance of the High School Equivalency Diploma based on the five GED sub-tests provides the opportunity to demonstrate academic skills at a high school level of competency.

The five GED sub-tests are designed for adults who have not finished high school but who have gained knowledge and skills through life experiences, reading books and newspapers, listening to television and radio, etc. The tests are designed to measure general knowledge and higher order thinking skills. The tests are in the areas of Language Arts, Reading, Language Arts Writing, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

The GED tests are both comprehensive and rigorous. Only 60 percent of graduating high school seniors nationwide could attain sufficient scores to qualify for the West Virginia High School Equivalent Diploma. The Social Studies, Science and Literature tests require the candidate to read passages or interpret graphic representations (diagrams, maps, etc.). The Math Test consists of word problems to be solved, work with fractions and decimals and algebraic and geometric functions. For the Writing Test, the essay is graded by a standard team of scorers and is geared toward the level of the graduating high school senior who has had at least four years of structured English writing instruction.

The GED exam/diploma is accepted by over 97 percent of the colleges and universities for entrance requirements and provides adults who did not complete high school with an opportunity for further education and training. The military also accepts the GED diploma if other criteria are also met. Additionally, the GED diploma is well accepted by the business and industry community.

The GED test battery is standardized every five to seven years on the performance of graduating high school seniors. Each jurisdiction or state establishes its own passing score which must meet or exceed those set forth by the American Council on Education (ACE), the national accrediting agency for the GED.

Any questions about the GED test or any of its policies or procedures, should be addressed to the WV State GED Administrator, Debbie Kimbler or the GED Testing Analyst, Sonja Fisher at (304) 558-6315 or 1-800-642-2670.

Any questions regarding the GED Testing in West Virginia may be directed to:
Debra Kimbler, GED Administrator
West Virginia Department of Education
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Building 6, Room 250
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: 304-558-6315
Fax: 304-558-4874