A couple things have changed with GED scoring and with passing
standards.
What is New
- As of January 1, 2002, the English GED is scored out of a total
of 800.
- As of January 1, 2004, the Spanish GED is also scored out of a total
of 800.
- A person is Utah may only take the GED three (3) times in either
English or Spanish.
- In the Language Arts, Writing test, examinees must pass the essay
in order to pass that test. If an examinee does not pass the
test, he/she must re-take the entire Language Arts, Writing test again.
Yes, entire means "entire." The essay is scored on
a rubric scale of four.
* Instructors: Feel free download this document to compare
the former and current rubrics for scoring essays. - Word
| PDF
Order of GED Test Taking
- If they wish, examinees are permitted to re-take any subtest before moving onto another of the five GED subtests.
- In a calendar year, examinees may take any of the GED tests three
(3) times.
To Pass the GED
To pass the GED, two conditions must be met, namely an examinee must
:
- score at least 410 on each test
AND
- score 450 overall (an average of the 5 tests).
What that means is that if the examinee scores less than 450
on one test such as, say 410, the examinee must score at least 490 on
another test in order to preserve the 450 average.
Two examples
Tests
Examinee #1
Examinee #2
Writing....................410...............................450
Reading...................450...............................450
Math ......................410...............................470
Soc. Studies ...........470...............................430
Science ..................480...............................450
Totals ................ 2,220 ........................... 2,250
Div. by 5 tests ...... 444 ............................. 450
Results ............ FAILED ...................... PASSED
Examinee #1 will need to decide which test(s) to re-take.
And now a word to wise -- the GED is not a lottery. There is
no "easy version" of the tests. If a person is
30 points or more below a desired score, generally that means more preparation
before the person should test again. Thirty points or less below
the desired score could be blamed on fatigue, "a bad day,"
etc. when he/she tested the first time.
How many people who take the GED pass the GED in
Utah? About 82% (English).
United States Pass Rate for GED 2002
Of the first 25,000 candidates completing the test battery, 64% met
the passing requirements.
To determine passing score standards for GED 2002 tests, the GED tests
were originally
given to 2001 graduating high school seniors. The percentages
below compare how
current GED examinees did compared to them.
The GED examinees' performance exceeds the high school graduates' by
4%. Candidates also
outperformed high school graduates in Reading (2%), Social Studies (3%)
and Science (5%).
High school graduates have higher scores in Writing (6%) and Mathematics
(7%). This is a
snapshot of the first 25,000 and may change as the volumes increase.
