The General Educational Development (GED) Program provides people who have not completed high school an opportunity to obtain a High School Equivalency Diploma. Applicants are required to take a battery of five tests. The five tests are:

• Writing Skills (75 minute multiple-choice and 45 minute essay)
• Social Studies (70 minutes)
• Science (80 minutes)
• Literature (65 minutes)
• Mathematics (90 minutes)

At Temple, GED Testing is usually offered on two Saturdays and one weekday each month on the Main Campus. All testing is by appointment only. To arrange for GED Testing at Temple, call (215) 204-8613, Monday-Friday, between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm.

• If you have not taken a GED Test at Temple in the past year (or have never tested), your first step will be to come to Temple to register for the test (complete an application, pay for the test, and make a testing appointment). Call the number above for details about registering for the test.
• If you have begun testing and are either completing the battery of five tests or are retesting (and have taken a GED test at Temple within the past year), you will be given an appointment to test over the phone.

NOTE: If you have tested before, when you come to register, you must bring a Score Report issued by your state's Department of Education.

FEES: The battery of five tests costs $60, and each retest costs $12.

The minimum age to take the GED Test is 16. Candidates who are 16 or 17 years old may only test if they submit a written request from one of the following:

• an employer for whom you must establish high school equivalency for job opportunities,
• a college or university official who will consider your acceptance on the basis of GED test scores,
• an official from a post-secondary educational, technical, and/or training institution who will consider your acceptance on the basis of GED test scores,
• a recruiting official, if you want to enter a branch of the Armed Forces for which high school equivalency is a prerequisite, or
• the director of a state institution in which you have been a resident, patient, or inmate, no earlier than 90 days before your anticipated release or discharge from the institution.

All letters must be written on letterhead stationery or must include the phone number and address of the employer or official authorizing the request. If you are 16 or 17 years old, you must bring this letter with you when you come to register for the test.

All official score reports are issued by the Commonwealth Diploma Program, Department of Education, 333 Market Street, 12th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17126.

Candidates usually receive their GED Testing score report within three weeks after the test date. To receive a diploma, candidates must obtain at least 410 standard score points on each individual test, and a total of at least 2250 standard score points on the battery of five tests.

If a candidate fails, he/she should wait at least 90 days before retesting in a particular subject. Retests in any subject must be taken with a different form of the test. Candidates are encouraged to consider preparatory manuals and/or tutorial classes as means of sharpening their skills in the areas in which they failed. When a candidate retests, only his/her highest score on that particular test will be counted.

For more information about the GED Tests:

• GEDTS - American Council on Education's national GED Testing Service website
• PA GED examinee information website

For more information about GED Testing at Temple University, call (215) 204-8613.