General Education Development

Who may take the GED test? What are the costs? What about retakes? What areas are covered on the GED tests? Where and when can I take the tests?

Where do I register, make appointments, and pay fees? What is a passing score? What if I need special accommodations? How should I prepare for the test?

Who may take the GED test?

• Anyone who is 18 years of age or older, maintained residence in the State of Illinois for at least 30 days, and are not high school graduates, but whose high school class has graduated.
• A member of the Armed Forces of the United States on active duty, who is 17 years of age or older, and who is stationed in Illinois or is a legal resident of Illinois
• A ward of the Department of Corrections who is 17 years of age or older, or an inmate confined in any branch of the Illinois State Penitentiary or in a county correctional facility.
• A female/male who is 17 years of age or older who is unable to attend school because she is either pregnant or the mother/father of one or more children
• A person who is 17 years of age or older who has been a dropout for a period of at least one year
• A person who is successfully competing an alternative education program under Section 2-3.81 or Article 13A of The School Code of Illinois
• A person who is enrolled in the youth education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard (Lincoln's Challenge)

Where do I register, make appointments, and pay fees?
Rock Island County Regional Office of Education
3430 Avenue of the Cities
Moline, Illinois 61265
Telephone: 309-736-1111

What are the Costs?

• $35 application fee for taking the 5 GED Tests, Constitution, and the certificate
• $10 fee for a retake of the Language Arts: Writing Test
• $5 fee for a retake of the Social Studies, Science, Reading, and Math Tests
• No charge for a Constitution exam retake
• $5 fee for a no show or failing to cancel the day prior to the appointment
• $10 fee for a no show or non cancellation on Writing or Math appointment

What is a passing score?

• Minimum score of 410 on any individual test
• Maintain an over-all average of 450 points per test
• Minimum total score from all 5 tests must be 2250 points
• The Constitution score is not included in this total
• High school transcript of a passed Constitution test will waive this test
• Transcript to be sent to the Regional Office of Education

What about retakes?

• Individual test score of less than 410 requires a retake for a charge of $5 or $10 (Writing)
• Limited to 3 retakes in the same subjects in a calendar year
• No limit of tries for the Constitution test and no charge

Do you need Special Accommodations?

• Documentation of disability to be submitted to the Regional Office
• Request Form L-15 or Form SA-001 when you register for special needs
• Includes extended time, large print test, audio tape versions, readers and scribes

What areas are covered on the GED Tests?

• Writing test has both multiple choice questions and an essay
• All other tests are strictly multiple choice with five possible answers given
• Questions range in difficulty from easy to hard, and cover a wide range of subjects
• The content of the tests are as follows:

Language Arts: Writing – Part I	50 Questions, 75 Minutes
30%	Sentence Structure
30%	Usage
25%	Mechanics
15%	Organization
Language Arts: Writing – Part II	Essay, 45 Minutes
Social Studies	50 Questions, 70 Minutes
25%	U.S. History
25%	Civics & Government
20%	Economics
15%	Geography
15%	World History
Science	50 Questions, 80 Minutes
45%	Life Science
35%	Physical Science
20%	Earth & Space Science
Language Arts: Reading	40 Questions, 65 Minutes
75%	Literary Text
25%	Non-Fiction Prose
Mathematics – Part I (using a calculator)	25 Questions, 45 Minutes
Mathematics – Part II (no calculator)	25 Questions, 45 Minutes
20-30%	Number, Number Sense & Operations
20-30%	Measurement & Geometry
20-30%	Data, Statistics & Probability
20-30%	Algebra, Functions & Patterns

How Should I Prepare for the Tests?

• Black Hawk College offers free classes at:
• Outreach Center 301 – 42nd Ave, East Moline, IL or call 309-796-4816
• Illinois Employment and Training Center 4703 – 16th Street, Moline, IL or call 309-797-7138
• Technology Center 3930 – 11th Street, Rock Island, IL or call 309-794-1072
• For more information about prep classes go to: Adult Ed GED information
• Area bookstore and libraries have preparatory materials available
• Online GED Practice Tests and http://steckvaughn.harcourtachieve.com/en-US/gedpractice
• Search the web for additional sites

Where and When do I take the GED test?

• Register in person at the Regional Office of Education, 3430 Avenue of the Cities, Moline
• Must bring a valid Illinois Driver’s License or Illinois State ID with current address
• Registrations are taken between 8am and 4pm
• May call the Regional Office of Education @ 309-736-1111 for schedule of test dates
• May go to Rock Island County Regional Office of Education for a schedule of dates and information
• Exams taken at Black Hawk College 6600 – 34th Ave., Moline, IL, Building One, Independent Learning Center, 309-796-5171
• Administered every other week, Tuesdays through Thursdays

Tuesdays
1:15pm – 3:00pm	Social Studies, Science, Reading, or/ and Constitution
3:00pm – 4:45pm	Social Studies, Science, Reading, or/ and Constitution
Wednesdays
1:15pm – 3:15pm	Math video, Math test Part I & II
3:15pm – 5:30pm	Writing test Part I & II
5:30pm – 7:15pm	Social Studies, Science, Reading, or/ and Constitution
Thursdays
1:15pm – 3:00pm	Social Studies, Science, Reading, or/ and Constitution
3:00pm – 4:45pm	Social Studies, Science, Reading, or/ and Constitution
Test	Test Type	# of Questions	Time
Math	Part I – w/ Calculator	25	45 min
Math	Part II – w/o Calculator	25	45 min
Language Arts	Part I – Multiple Choice	50	75 min
Language Arts	Part II – Essay		45 min
Social Studies	Multiple Choice	50	70 min
Science	Multiple Choice	50	80 min
Reading	Multiple Choice	40	65 min