Yes, the GED test is online. It’s the official test, with a proctor watching you just like they do at a test center. GED Testing Service says the content is the same as the in-person test.
The catch? Not everyone can take it. And a search for “online GED” also turns up sites that sell diplomas with no test at all.
The 4 rules for taking the GED test online
GED Testing Service lists these on its online test page. You have to meet all four:
- Your state offers online testing. Most do. The next section shows which ones don’t.
- You scored green on GED Ready in the last 60 days, in each subject. Green means Likely to Pass (145 or higher). A green in science doesn’t cover math, and you have to book within 60 days of that score.
- You’re physically in the United States. Living here isn’t enough if you’re traveling on test day. A test taken outside the US gets revoked, and you lose your fee.
- You meet your state’s age rule for online testing. It’s 16, 17 or 18, depending on the state. Under 18, extra state rules and a parent’s consent apply.
A green score only counts for 60 days. So take GED Ready when you’re close to ready, and book soon after.
Bottom line: if you’re an adult in a state that offers it, GED Ready is the main hurdle. For math, here’s what each GED Ready score means.
How to take the GED test online, step by step
- Check your state in the table below, and make a free account on GED.com if you don’t have one.
- Score green on GED Ready for each subject you want to take online.
- Run the system test on the computer and internet you’ll use. Here’s what it checks.
- Book the online test in your GED.com account within 60 days of that green score.
- Log in about 30 minutes early on test day, show your ID and your room, and start.
Which states offer the GED test online?
Here’s GED.com’s online testing table as we found it in October 2026. It changes, so check it again before you plan around it.
| Online test | Where |
|---|---|
| Yes (39) | The 34 states not listed below, plus the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands |
| Limited (8) | Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah |
| No (6) | Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, New York, West Virginia, Wyoming |
| No GED at all (2) | Iowa and Maine, which use a different test called HiSET |
“Limited” means restrictions may apply, and GED.com points you to your account for the details. Here’s what we found for three of them:
- Indiana: the state suspended online testing on July 1, 2025. Testing at home is now only for students in an approved adult education program who also qualify for modified testing conditions.
- Kansas: you have to be enrolled in an adult education program to test online.
- Montana: you fill out a state application for online testing first. The Office of Public Instruction posts the forms.
In one of the other five? Log in to GED.com to see your state’s rules. And if you live in Florida or New York, you’ll test at a center. In New York, the state pays for the tests.
What taking the GED test at home is like
At home, the test center’s rules still apply: you test alone in a private room with the door closed.
Before you book: run the system test
The online test runs on Pearson VUE’s OnVUE system. Run its system test on the same computer and internet connection you’ll use on test day. Pearson VUE’s requirements include:
- A computer with Windows 10 or macOS 14 or newer. Phones, tablets and Chromebooks won’t work.
- One screen, plus a working webcam, microphone and speaker. No headphones.
- Internet of at least 6 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, on your own connection. No VPN, work network or public Wi-Fi.
No webcam? Then you can’t test online. The proctor has to see you for the whole test.
Don’t skip this step. If your setup fails on test day, you can lose your exam fee.
Your room and desk
- A private room with four walls and a closed door. Once the test starts, nobody else can come in, for any reason.
- No food, smoking or gum, and no calculator, scratch paper or paper notes.
- Your phone, headphones and watch out of reach.
- You stay in webcam view the whole time, and you can’t move the webcam once you start.
Check-in and the tools you get
- Log in 30 minutes early. You check in by showing your government-issued ID and your workspace.
- A proctor watches the whole time, and your session is video recorded. You can chat with the proctor on screen, but they won’t answer questions about the test content.
- Your tools are all on screen. You get an on-screen calculator, scratch pad and whiteboard. No handheld calculator, scratch paper or notes.
- No touchscreen. You can’t use a laptop’s touchscreen, so you’ll use your mouse.
The rules are strict. GED.com warns that breaking them means your test is revoked, you lose your payment, and you’re banned from testing in the future.
The good news? Online proctors work 24 hours a day, so you can book a time after the kids are asleep.
One more thing to practice: math on a screen. With no paper, you’ll do all your work on the on-screen scratch pad and calculator. Our free TI-30XS calculator works like the one on the test, so your fingers can learn the keys first.
Does the GED cost more online?
In many states, the price per subject is the same either way. In some, it isn’t. Here are a few examples from each state’s GED.com page:
| State | Test center | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | $36.25 | $42.25 |
| South Carolina | $37.50 | $43.50 |
| North Carolina | $26 | $36 |
| Arkansas | $4 (state-subsidized) | $36 |
| Louisiana | $38.50 | $36 |
Mississippi is another one to know. The state pays for your tests, retakes included, at a Mississippi test center. It doesn’t pay for online tests.
Every state’s prices are in our GED cost by state table.
Didn’t pass online? The retake rules
Online, you get one retake with no wait. If you don’t pass after two tries, you wait 60 days before you can book that subject online again.
Online retakes are also full price, because discounted retakes are only offered at test centers. In Texas, for example, an online retake costs $42.25, while a test center retake costs $16.25 (checked October 2026).
Bottom line: if you’re unsure about a subject, a test center is usually the cheaper place for a second try. If it’s math you missed, here’s what to do after failing GED math.
How to spot a fake online GED
Search for “online GED” and you’ll find sites that promise a quick diploma with no real test. Those are diploma mills, and their certificates hold no value.
Here’s how to tell the real thing from a fake:
- The real online test is only on GED.com. GED Testing Service says it plainly: “Online GED Tests Are Only Administered on GED.com.”
- You can’t skip the tests. “You should never be able to buy a GED certificate without taking the test.” A real GED means passing all four, with a proctor watching.
- Your state is the one that awards it. If your state isn’t giving you the credential, GED Testing Service says “you’re paying for something other than the GED® test.”
- Some phrases are red flags. GED Testing Service warns about lines like “a high school diploma based on life experience” or “earn your diploma instantly.” And don’t trust a site just because it says “accredited.”
Paying for the real test is normal, though. The official test isn’t free unless your state offers free or discounted testing.
Think you’ve been scammed? Report it to GED Testing Service at help@ged.com. To check whether a program is recognized, ask your state’s Department of Education.
Written by
Coach Crissy
Math instructor
Coach Crissy teaches the video lessons behind the BooknBoost GED math course, working through GED-style problems on camera: ratios and proportions, percent and interest, mean, median and mode, slope, and the geometry students meet on test day.