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GED Guides: From Sign-Up to Diploma, One Step at a Time
Getting your GED comes down to four tests and a few rules that change from state to state. These guides take you through it in order. Prices, rules and scores come from GED.com and state agencies.
- guides
- 25
- free tools
- 8
- states and territories
- 55
Your GED in five steps
New to all this? Work down the list. Each step links to the guides that answer it.
Check your state’s rules
Your age, where you live and what you pay all depend on your state. Start there.
Learn what’s on the test
Four subjects, about 7 hours in all, and you can take them one at a time.
Study, starting with math
Math is the subject most people have left, so it pays to start there. Find your weak spots first.
Book and pass each test
Each test is scored from 100 to 200, and 145 passes. Testing online needs a green GED Ready score first.
Get your diploma and use it
Pass all four and you earn your state’s credential. Use it for college, jobs and federal aid, and to enlist, where the bar is higher.
Getting your GED
The steps in order, your state’s rules and prices, and what a GED is worth.
- How to Get Your GEDSix steps from a free GED.com account to your diploma, in order.
- GED Requirements by StateAge, residency and the extra steps some states add, for every state.
- GED Cost by StateToolEvery state’s price, free and discounted testing, and a cost calculator.
- How to Get Your GED OnlineWho can test from home, what you need, and how to spot a fake online diploma.
- Free GED Prep OnlineWhat’s free for real, from official test previews to adult education classes.
- GED by StateToolEvery state’s price and rules, and whether it offers the HiSET, on one map, with a two-state compare tool.
The test and your scores
What’s on each of the four tests, how long they take, and what your scores mean.
- What’s on the GED TestThe four subjects side by side: time, question types and what each covers.
- How Long Is the GED Test?425 minutes across four tests, the breaks, and when your scores arrive.
- Is the GED Hard?What makes each subject hard, and how to check you’re ready before you pay.
- GED Scores ExplainedThe 100 to 200 scale, 145 to pass, and the two College Ready levels.
- GED Score CalculatorToolEnter your four scores to see if you’ve passed and what they mean for college.
GED math help
From the formula sheet to test-day tactics, one piece of the math test at a time.
- GED Math Study GuideWhat to study first, a skills checklist, and a 4- or 8-week plan.
- What’s on the GED Math TestThe four areas of the math test, how much each counts, and what isn’t tested.
- Is GED Math Hard?An honest answer: what level the math is, and what helps most.
- How to Pass the GED Math TestEight test-day tactics, from pacing to working back from the answers.
- GED Math Passing ScoreWhat a 145 means in the number of questions you can miss.
- GED Math Formula SheetEvery formula on the official sheet with an example, plus the ones it leaves out.
- GED Calculator (TI-30XS)ToolWhen you get the calculator, the keys people get wrong, and a free on-screen one.
- GED Ready Math TestThe official practice test: what it costs, what the colors mean, and when to take it.
- GED Math Question TypesThe five question formats, with a live example of each.
- GED Math Word ProblemsA six-step method and 15 word problems solved step by step.
- GED Math Questions and Answers20 sample questions with full working, labeled easy, medium or hard.
- Failed the GED Math Test?The retake rules, how to read your score report, and a four-week plan.
After you pass
What your GED gets you: college, the military, and a copy of your records when you need one.
- Joining the Military With a GEDToolEach branch’s GED rules and AFQT minimums, plus a checker for your score.
- GED Transcript and Diploma CopiesToolWhere to order a copy in your state, the steps, the price, and when the first one is free.
- GED vs High School DiplomaHow a GED counts for college, jobs, financial aid and the military.
Free practice and tools
Practice that works like the real math test, with every answer explained. No sign-up.
- Free GED Math Practice TestToolAbout 46 questions on a 115-minute clock, like the real test, every answer explained.
- Practice by TopicTool25-question sets on one skill area, with new numbers every time.
- Printable Practice Tests (PDF)Two full practice tests with answer keys and a worked solution for every question.
- Every GED Math SkillEvery skill our practice covers, each linked to a set of questions.
- GED Math CourseVideo lessons in an 8-week plan. Opening soon, with a waitlist.
GED by state
Step-by-step guides for the states below, with more on the way. Every state’s price and rules are on the GED by state page.
Not sure where you stand in math?
Take a free practice test that works like the real one. You’ll see your score by area and which skills cost you the most points, so you know what to study first.
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