The General Educational Development (GED) test is actually made up of five short tests that you take in one day or over a series of days. Many people call the GED the high school equivalency test because when you pass the test, you earn a certificate that most colleges and employers recognize as the equivalent of a high school diploma. Each of the five GED tests is scored from 200 to 800. To pass the GED, you must get a score of at least 410 on each of the five tests, which an average score of at least 450. The Princeton Review can help you prepare for this test using our book, Cracking the GED and by offering personalized GED tutoring.

What's on the Test?
Here are the five test subjects:

• Language Arts, Writing (Two separate sections; part one is 50 multiple choice questions, 75 minutes, part two is one essay, 45 minutes.) In part one you will be tested on sentence structure, grammar, mechanics and organization. In part two you'll be asked to write a short essay about a given topic.
• Social Studies (50 multiple-choice questions, 70 minutes) tests your knowledge of national history, government and civics, world history, economics, and geography. Sixty percent of the questions will be based on charts, diagrams, cartoons, and graphic materials.
• Science (50 multiple-choice questions, 80 minutes) tests your general knowledge of life science, physics and chemistry, and Earth and space. About one-half of the questions will be based on charts and other graphic materials.
• Language Arts, Reading (40 multiple-choice questions, 65 minutes) tests reading comprehension by giving you a few different passages (a play, a poem, a workplace document, an article) and asking you questions about these passages.
• Mathematics (50 questions, 90 minutes) tests your general knowledge of number operations, measurement, geometry, data analysis, probability, statistics, algebra, functions, and patterns. This section has two parts, each with 25 questions. You may use a calculator on the first half, but not the second half. Most of the questions will be multiple-choice, but about ten will be short answer.

Where do I Register for the GED?
For information on registering to take the GED, call (800) 626-9433 (800 62 MY GED). For additional information, visit www.acenet.edu. To locate the testing center closest to you, go to: http://www.acenet.edu/resources/ged/center_locator.cfm. There are more than 3,000 testing centers in the U.S. and more than 100 abroad.

How do I Prepare for the GED?
The Princeton Review offers comprehensive preparation options. Check out Cracking the GED. For information about our tutoring programs, please call us at 800-2Review (800-273-8439).