Transcription
A GUIDE FORGED EXAMINEESWHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUTTHE GENERAL EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TESTSJuly 2006- Revised -
A GUIDE FOR GED EXAMINEESTABLE OF CONTENTSWHAT ARE THE GED TESTS?. 1WHY WRITE THE GED TESTS? . 1WHO ACCEPTS THE GED CERTIFICATE?. 1DO I NEED TO STUDY FOR THE TESTS?. 2WHO MAY TAKE THE TESTS?. 2WHAT IS ON THE GED TESTS? . 2LANGUAGE ARTS WRITING . 2SOCIAL STUDIES. 3SCIENCE . 3LANGUAGE ARTS READING . 3MATHEMATICS. 3HOW DO I APPLY TO TAKE THE TESTS? . 4WHEN ARE THE GED TESTS WRITTEN? . 4FEES . 4WHERE WILL THE TESTS BE HELD? . 5SPECIAL EDITIONS OF THE GED TESTS. 6SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS TO WRITE THE GED TESTS. . 6WHAT DO I BRING TO THE TESTS?. 6WHAT IS THE TESTING PROCEDURE? . 7HOW LONG DO THE TESTS TAKE TO WRITE? . 7HOW AND WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED OF THE RESULTS? . 8HOW ARE THE RESULTS REPORTED? . 8CAN I TAKE THE TESTS AGAIN?. 8HOW CAN I GET EXTRA COPIES OF MY MARKS?. 9APPENDIX A . IAPPENDIX B . III
WHAT ARE THE GED TESTS?WHY WRITE THE GED TESTS?The General Educational Development(GED) Tests are five multiple-choicetests in the areas of language artswriting, language arts reading, socialstudies, science, and mathematics.The language arts writing test alsorequires the writing of an essay.These tests are intended to help adultswho did not graduate from secondaryschool improve their academic orvocational standing. By successfullycompleting the GED tests, you willindicate that you have the necessaryskills, ability, and determination topursue a high level of achievement.People write the GED tests for manyreasons:The GED is primarily a reading test thatis designed to measure the skills thatyou would have normally gainedthrough twelve years of formaleducation: the ability to understand andapply information; to evaluate, analyze,and draw conclusions; and to expressideas and opinions in writing. Whenyou have passed the five tests, you willreceive a British Columbia SecondarySchool Equivalency Certificate. to qualify for a better jobto gain promotion within their ownorganizationto apply for admission toeducational and traininginstitutionsfor personal satisfactionWHO ACCEPTS THE GED CERTIFICATE?By passing the tests, GED certificateholders demonstrate they possessacademic abilities that are equivalentto those of secondary school graduates.It will show that you have the potentialof a secondary school graduate tosucceed in further study or jobsituations; however, specific knowledge(mathematical and scientific formulas,specific literary works, etc.) is nottested. Your results on the GED testswill demonstrate how well you havedone compared to the performance ofrecent secondary school graduates.The British Columbia SecondarySchool Equivalency Certificate is notthe same as secondary schoolgraduation and cannot be consideredas a substitute for it.GED certificates are awarded in all ofthe Canadian provinces and territories,except Quebec, and all of the Americanstates and its territories.In some jurisdictions, GED test scoresare accepted as being equivalent tosecondary school graduationrequirements for the purposes ofemployment, promotion, and licensing.Some post-secondary institutions alsoaccept GED test scores in place ofcompleted secondary school transcriptsfor admission purposes. However, ifyou plan to use the GED certificatefor college/university entrance or fora job application, you should firstdetermine that it will be acceptableand meet the necessary standards orspecific prerequisites before youapply to write the GED tests.The GED Testing Service inWashington, D.C., originally developedthe tests but the Canadian version hasbeen adapted to Canadian standards.Page 3
DO I NEED TO STUDY FOR THE TESTS?WHAT IS ON THE GED TESTS?Many private companies offer GEDpreparatory courses. You do NOT needto take a class or course to beeligible to write the GED tests.The GED tests are designed to measureunderstanding in subject areascomparable to a secondary schoolprogram of study. The following is adescription of the five tests:The basic premise behind the GEDTesting Service is that learning is acontinual process and the GED testsoffer an opportunity for adults todemonstrate the learning they haveaccomplished since leaving school. Thetests are designed to measure yourability to understand and reason ratherthan test you on facts. Many peoplehave found it helpful to enroll in acourse or borrow library materials torefresh their test taking skills.LANGUAGE ARTS WRITING(120 minutes total - 50 multiple-choicequestions, 1 essay)The Language Arts Writing test isintended to measure your ability to usestandard written English clearly andeffectively. The test contains twoparts; candidates must write and besuccessful on both parts to receive ascore.WHO MAY TAKE THE TESTS?Part I has 50 multiple-choicequestions. The questions will measureyour ability to edit and correctsentences in the following areas:sentence structure (30%), word usage(30%), mechanics (25%), andorganization (15%). You will berequired to maintain consistency inverb tense or point of view within thetotal text. The format of the questionsis sentence correction (45%),sentence revision (35%), andsentence structure, mechanics andorganization (20%). You will have 75minutes to complete this section.You MUST meet the following fourrequirements at the time ofapplication:You must be a Canadian citizen or landedimmigrant, be a British Columbia resident, be at least 18 years of age on thedate of the tests, not have received a Grade 12graduation certificate from anyinstitution.YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN CREDIT IFYOU DO NOT MEET THE ABOVEREQUIREMENTS.Part II requires you to write an essay ofapproximately 200-250 words on anissue or situation with which you arefamiliar and requires no specialknowledge. You will be given 45minutes to complete the essay and youare encouraged to plan, draft, revise,and proofread it.Page 4
The remaining 50 percent will beproblem-solving questions where longerreading passages or visual materialsare followed by questions.SOCIAL STUDIES(70 minutes- 50 multiple choicequestions)This test consists of reading andinterpreting passages and practicaldocuments such as a voter’s guide,graphics, and photographs that aretaken from social studies texts andhistorical documents. The subjectareas covered generally deal withCanadian issues.40%20%25%15%LANGUAGE ARTS READING(65 minutes - 40 multiple-choicequestions)This test measures your ability tounderstand different kinds of readingpassages and answer questions in twocontent areas:Canadian and World HistoryEconomicsCivics and GovernmentGeography75% Literary texts, including drama,poetry, and prose from 1920’s tothe present.25% Non-fiction texts, includingnonfiction prose, critical reviews,business documents.You will be given the opportunity todemonstrate an understanding in eacharea by answering questions that askyou to interpret the meanings of theselections and draw conclusions fromthe material presented.MATHEMATICS(90 minutes - 50 multiple-choice andalternate format questions)SCIENCE(80 minutes - 50 multiple-choicequestions)Please note that the Science testuses metric terms andmeasurements.Please note that the Mathematicstest uses metric terms andmeasurements. There are twoseparate booklets (Part I and Part II),45 questions in each, which arecombined and reported as one score.This test is made up from three areas ofscience:45%Life Science (Biology)35%Physical Science (Chemistry,Physics)20%Earth and Space ScienceOnly Part I of the test permits theuse of a Casio fx-260 solarcalculator. (See Appendix A forcalculator directions).The mathematics test places emphasison your ability to solve real-lifeproblems. It does not test your abilityto recognize specialized mathematicalvocabulary or symbols. There are fourcontent areas covered:The test follows two different formats:Fifty percent (50%) of the Science testwill be conceptual understandingquestions where short statements,diagrams, charts, or tables are givenand then questions are asked abouteach item.20-30% Arithmetic (Number operations)20-30% Measurement and Geometry20-30% Data Analysis, Statistics andProbability20-30% Algebra Functions and PatternsPage 5
The questions require somecomputation, problem-solving, andinterpretation of data contained withingraphs, charts, tables, and diagrams.following page or visit the followingwebsite: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/gedYour completed application form andfees MUST be received at the GEDTesting Service in Victoria AT LEASTTWENTY EIGHT (28) DAYS PRIOR to thetesting date. Once you have beenregistered to write, you will receive aconfirmation letter telling you whereand when you must report to write thetests. If you have not received aconfirmation letter by the Friday beforethe testing, call the GED TestingService at (250) 356-2431 to ensurethat you are registered to write.HOW DO I APPLY TO TAKE THE TESTS?You must submit a completedAPPLICATION TO WRITE GED TESTSform and appropriate fees to the GEDTesting Service in Victoria. The mailingaddress is on the bottom of theapplication form.Application forms to write the GEDtests are available from the GEDExaminer at your local communitycollege or at the following web site:http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/ged/There is a complete list of thecommunity colleges that offer GEDtesting on the following page. You canalso contact:Please note: If you register for a specificsession, but are unable to write at thatsession for personal reasons, you mustsubmit a transfer form to the GEDTesting Service AT LEAST TWO (2) WEEKSBEFORE the testing date so that yourtests can be rescheduled to the nextsitting. Requests for transfer on lessthan two-weeks notice will beconsidered on an individual basis. (Inmost cases, you will have to re-registerand submit an additional registrationfee.) Transfer forms can be obtained atany of the colleges listed on the nextpage or at the following website:http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/gedGED Testing ServiceMinistry of EducationP.O. Box 9886 STN PROV GOVTVictoria, BC V8W 9T6Telephone: (250) 356-2431Fax:(250) 356-0271Web: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/gedWHEN ARE THE GED TESTS WRITTEN?FEESRegularly scheduled testing sessionsare held seven (7) times during the GEDTesting Year at community collegesthroughout British Columbia. The GEDTesting Year runs from January toNovember and the sessions arenormally held during the months ofJanuary, March, April, June, July,September and November.The current GED test fee mustaccompany your application form.The fee is NON-REFUNDABLE.Payment should be in the form of acheque, money order, Master Card orVisa made payable to the Minister ofFinance. Post-dated cheques will NOTbe accepted. Contact your localcommunity college, the GED TestingService office at (250) 356-2431 or visitthe following website for the currentGED fee: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/gedFor the exact dates of the GED testingsessions, please contact your nearestcommunity college found on thePage 6
WHERE WILL THE TESTS BE HELD?The testing sessions will be held throughout British Columbia atthe following community colleges and their satellite test sites.For additional information contact the GED Examiner at:CAMOSUN COLLEGE3100 Foul Bay RdVICTORIA BC V8P 5J2Telephone: (250) 370-3598NORTHERN LIGHTS COLLEGEBox 1000 9820 - 120th AveFORT ST. JOHN BC V1J 6K1Telephone: (250) 787-6201CAPILANO UNIVERSITYNorth Vancouver Campus2055 Purcell WayNORTH VANCOUVER BC V7J 3H5Telephone: (604) 986-1911, local 2521NORTHWEST COMMUNITY COLLEGEBox 726 5331 McConnell AveTERRACE BC V8G 4X2Telephone: (250) 635-6511 ext 5377OKANAGAN UNIVERSITY1000 K.L.O. RdKELOWNA BC V1Y 4X8Telephone: (250) 862-5419COLLEGE OF NEW CALEDONIA3330 - 22nd AvePRINCE GEORGE BC V2N 1P8Telephone: (250) 561-5826SELKIRK COLLEGEPO Box 1200 301 Frank Beinder WayCASTLEGAR BC V1N 3J1Telephone: (250) 365-7292COLLEGE OF THE ROCKIESPO Box 8500 2700 College WayCRANBROOK BC V1C 5L7Telephone: (250) 489-8236THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY900 McGill Rd Box 3010KAMLOOPS BC V2C 5N3Telephone: (250) 828-5471DOUGLAS COLLEGEPO Box 2503 700 Royal AveNEW WESTMINSTER BC V3M 5Z5Telephone: (604) 527-5447UNIVERSITY OF THE FRASER VALLEY33844 King RdABBOTSFORD BC V2S 7M9Telephone: (604) 504-7441KWANTLEN POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY12666 - 72nd AveSURREY BC V3W 2M8Telephone: (604) 599-2368VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY900 Fifth StNANAIMO BC V9R 5S5Telephone: (250) 740-6416NICOLA VALLEY INSTITUTE OFTECHNOLOGY4155 Belshaw StMERRITT BC V1K 1R1Telephone: (250) 378-3331VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGEDowntown Campus250 West PenderVANCOUVER BC V6B 1S9Telephone: (604) 443-8611NORTH ISLAND COLLEGE2300 Ryan RdCOURTENAY BC V9N 8N6Telephone: (250) 334-5065Page 7
available from the GED Examiner atyour local community college or at thefollowing website:www.bced.gov.bc.ca/gedThe form must be sent to the GEDAdministrator, in Victoria, along withyour application form and fees. Anyrequest submitted without theappropriate application form and feeswill be returned.SPECIAL EDITIONS OF THE GED TESTS.A French version of the GED tests isavailable. If you wish to write the GEDtests in French, please mark the correctbox on the application form.The GED tests are also offered in LargePrint. If you wish to write the tests inLarge Print, simply send a writtenrequest for that version along with yourapplication form and fees.Due to the time required to review thesecases, examinees requesting specialneeds accommodations must submittheir application form, writing fees,special needs form, and medicaldocumentation to the GED TestingService at least SIX WEEKS PRIOR to thewriting date.The tests are also available inAudiocassette and Braille versions.Examinees who wish to write either ofthese versions must submit a Requestfor Special Accommodations ofStandard GED Test Administrationform to the GED Testing Service inVictoria (see section below).WHAT DO I BRING TO THE TESTS?SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS TO WRITE THEGED TESTS.Satisfactory identification must bepresented at the time of the test.You must bring some form of pictureidentification: a valid driver’s license, aBritish Columbia Identification Card, apassport, or other identification cards(which have a photograph, signature,and indicate date of birth andresidency). As well as a picture, theidentification must have a specimen ofyour signature.Special accommodations are available ifyou have specific learning and/orphysical disabilities. To qualify andreceive approval from the ChiefExaminer of British Columbia you mustsubmit a completed copy of theRequest for Special Accommodationsof Standard GED TestAdministration form to the GEDTesting Service in Victoria. The GEDTesting Service in Victoria will forward arequest for accommodations because ofspecial learning disabilities to the GEDin Washington, D.C. for their approval.Also, please be sure to bring yourSocial Insurance Number with youwhen you write the tests. This is theidentification number that the GEDTesting Service in Victoria uses toidentify who you are, mark your testanswers, and record your marks.IN ORDER TO VALIDATE THE REQUEST,SUPPORTING MEDICAL DOCUMENTATIONAND/OR A SUMMARY OF TEST RESULTSMUST ACCOMPANY THE REQUEST FORSPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS FORM.The Request for SpecialAccommodations to the StandardGED Test Administration form isPage 8
Everything you need - instructions, apencil, a pen for the essay portion ofthe Language Arts Writing test, answersheets, calculator, and scratch paperwill be provided. No books, sliderules, electronic calculators (otherthan the Casio fx-260 calculator thatwill be supplied by the GED TestingService in Victoria), or othermaterials may be used when takingthe tests. No papers of any kind areto be taken out of the testing roomat the conclusion of the test.Coordinate Plane Grid), all thequestions on the five GED tests aremultiple-choice. Each multiple-choicequestion has five possible answers.0On the answer sheet you will berequired to fill in a circle to show whichanswer is best for each question. Besure to fill in the space completely.WHAT IS THE TESTING PROCEDURE?You will be scheduled to write all fivetests at your first writing session.HOW LONG DO THE TESTS TAKE TOWRITE?Most colleges write two tests on Fridaynight and three on Saturday, but a fewdo write all day Saturday. Pleasecontact the college to verify their testingschedule.The GED Testing Service in Victoriaschedules the session dates inconjunction with the communitycolleges, but the colleges set the timesthe individual tests are administered.You should note that you can writethese tests only at the time specified bythe colleges. You should arrive at thecentre approximately one-half hourbefore the tests are scheduled to begin.If you are scheduled to write onlysome of the tests, call the GEDExaminer at the college listed onpage 5, to find out what time youshould report to write.You will record all your personalidentification and answers onto answersheets. It is important that youfollow ALL instructions whencompleting the forms. Theinformation MUST be complete andcorrect, as it will be the only recordavailable to indicate that you havewritten the GED tests. If you do notfill in your Social Insurance Numbercorrectly, there will be no way toidentify which paper is yours, and ifyou do not indicate which test formyou are writing, the answers cannotbe marked. The invigilator at thetesting session will help you identifywhich form you will be writing.The five tests take seven (7) hours andfive (5) minutes to complete.Language Arts Writing:Part I:75 minutesPart II:45 minutesSocial Studies: 70 minutesScience:80 minutesLanguage Arts Reading:65 minutesMathematics: 90 minutesWith the exception of Part II of theLanguage Arts Writing test, whichrequires you to write an essay, and thealternate format questions on theMathematics test (see Appendix B forexamples of the Standard Grid andPage 9
HOW AND WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED OFTHE RESULTS?Your completed tests will be forwardedto the GED Testing Service in Victoria tobe marked. Approximately THREEweeks after you write the tests, you willreceive an Official Report of Resultsindicating your Standard Score on eachtest. If you are successful on all fivetests you will also receive a BritishColumbia Secondary SchoolEquivalency Certificate.HOW ARE THE RESULTS REPORTED?Results on each of the five GED testsare reported as Standard Scoresranging from 200 to 800. A passingStandard Score for the GED TestingService in British Columbia is 450. YouMUST receive a score of at least 450 oneach of the five tests to be eligible toreceive a British Columbia SecondarySchool Equivalency Certificate. TheGED Testing Service in Victoria doesnot calculate or report percentages orletter grades.CAN I TAKE THE TESTS AGAIN?You can rewrite one or more of the testson which you were unsuccessful (anytest on which you received aStandard Score of less than 450) at asubsequent testing session.If you are unsuccessful in achieving thepassing standard score of 450 the FIRSTtime, you may write a 2nd and 3rd timewithin the GED Testing Year (JanuaryNovember). If you need to write aFOURTH time, you must wait untilthe following GED Testing Year.The scores reported on your new OfficialReport of Results will be the HIGHESTscores that you have achieved and notnecessarily the scores from the mostrecent testing. Recent scores are notreported if they are lower than yourprevious scores.If you pass, but require higher scores toenter a post-secondary program or foremployment purposes, you may rewritethe tests once you have received apassing score. A letter from the postsecondary institution or employer,explaining the need to rewrite plus awritten request from you must besubmitted to the GED Testing Serviceand approved by the Chief Examiner ofBritish Columbia.If you wish to be retested, you mustsubmit a new application form alongwith the current registration fee.NOTE: If you have not passed all fiveGED tests on or before December 31,2001 you will be required to starttesting again with the new 2002 testseries and rewrite all five subjects.If you started to write the GED tests onJanuary 1, 2002 or later, you only haveto rewrite the subjects you wereunsuccessful in. Until further notice,the scores from subjects that youpassed will not expire after a certaintime period (e.g., there is no longer a 3year time limit for rewriting tests).Page 10
HOW CANMARKS?I GET EXTRA COPIES OF MYThe GED Testing Service in Victoria willkeep test records.Duplicate statements of marks orduplicate certificates can be obtainedfor a fee. Please contact:Transcriptsc/o Ministry of EducationP.O. Box 9886 STN PROV GOVTVictoria, BC V8W 9T6Telephone: (250) 356-2432Fax:(250) 356-0171Web:www.bced.gov.bc.ca/gedPage 11
APPENDIX AMATHEMATICS CALCULATOR DIRECTIONS(for the Casio fx 260 Solar Calculator)Page I
APPENDIX BMATHEMATICS STANDARD GRID ANDCOORDINATE PLANE GRIDPage III
eligible to write the GED tests. The basic premise behind the GED Testing Service is that learning is a continual process and the GED tests offer an opportunity for adults to demonstrate the learning they have accomplished since leaving school. The tests are designed to measure your ability to understand and reason rather than test you on facts.
