GED & Testing

The specific purpose of the GED Test is the measurement of the educational development of adults who have not completed their formal high school education. Adults may earn a High School Equivalency Certificate and thus qualify for admission to colleges or other educational institutions, meet educational requirements for employment or promotion, satisfy educational qualifications for induction into the armed services, fulfill requirements of local or state licensing boards, or gain personal satisfaction.

 
ELIGIBILITY

An individual is eligible to take the GED Test given they meet all of the following conditions:

  • 18 years of age or older*
  • does not have a high school diploma or GED credential and is not currently enrolled in a secondary school
  • is a resident of the State of Illinois

 

Note: *If an individual is 17 years old and has been enrolled in a public, private, or a home school setting in the last 12 months, they must present a withdrawal letter from the last school enrolled in before taking the GED tests. If homeschooled, they must also provide a letter from the person responsible for the homeschooling [e.g., instructor, tutor, parent, guardian, etc.] stating the program has been completed, the individual is no longer required to be homeschooled, and the individual has been cleared to take the GED® exam.  The letter must include 1.) the candidate's full name and date of birth, 2.) the date the letter was written, 3.) a physical or digitally time-stamped signature from staff at the relevant homeschooling association/program responsible for the candidate's home schooling.  Proof of withdrawal can be emailed to hse@illinois.gov or faxed to 217-558-6700.  Please allow 3-5 business days for the processing of emailed documentation and 7-10 business days for the processing of faxed documentation.


What is my cost if I test at a Test Center?

  • Starting July 1, 2023: Illinois charges $36 per subject for the GED® test at a Test Center.

What is my cost if I test Online?

  • Illinois charges $36 per subject for the GED® test via Online.

Illinois also lowered the cost to make it easier for all students to take this vital step. If you choose to take the GED in Illinois at a testing center, it will only cost you $40.

 
REGISTRATION

You can register online to take the GED Test at ged.com Although registration is done online, the tests will actually be administered on computer at an official GED testing site that you select during registration.                                                                                  Testing fees must be paid at the time of scheduling. 

 

For more information regarding registration, you may contact Pearson VUE                  at 1-877-392-6433 (1-877-EXAM-GED).


 
TEST CONTENTS

The 2014 GED Test consists of four content areas:

 The GED test is made up of 4 subjects, broken into separate exams. You DO NOT have to take all 4 tests at once - we encourage you to space them out however it suits you and go at your own pace. 

1.       Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA) (150 minutes)

  •     Section 1 (27 minutes*)
  •     Section 2 (45 minutes)
  •     Student Break (10 minutes)
  •     Section 3 (60 minutes*)
  •     The time allotted for sections 1 and 3 may vary slightly, but the total test time will always be 150 minutes.

2.       Mathematical Reasoning (115 minutes)

  •     Part 1 (first 5 test questions) calculator not allowed
  •     Part 2 – (remaining 41 test questions) calculator allowed

3.       Science (90 minutes)

4.       Social Studies (90 minutes)

  •     Section 1 (65 minutes)
  •     Section 2 (25 minutes)

Tests are administered in English and Spanish
You can test three times on each subject without waiting. After the third attempt, you must wait 60 days before each subsequent attempt until the end of the calendar year.

 

 

Please do not send cash in the mail.

GED and Testing Forms

GED® TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS

Not all individuals can be fairly tested under standard conditions. If you have a documented learning, physical or emotional disability, you may qualify for accommodations for a GED® test administration. If approved, accommodations are provided at no additional charge.

For information on how to request accommodations for the 2014 GED® tests, visit https://ged.com/about_test/accommodations/ or email:
accommodations@gedtestingservice.com.

Accommodation forms and supporting documentation can be faxed directly to GED® Testing Service at Fax: 202-464-4894.

 

GED TEST PREPARATION
GED® preparation classes are offered free of charge at local adult education programs. For more information call 1-800-321-9511 or you can visit the Program Locator. GED® study materials are also available through the MyGED® portal at GED.com.

GED preparation classes are available at Illinois Central College (ICC):

 
CONSTITUTION TEST REQUIREMENT

In order to earn an Illinois High School Equivalency Certificate, you must complete the Constitution requirement as required by Illinois Compiled Statutes – School Code (105 ILCS 5/27-3) in addition to passing the four parts of the GED test.

The online Constitution Module- available as of July 01, 2022- replaces the former Constitution test.  It is estimated it will take two hours for a student to complete. It is available for HSE candidates to take independently and does not require proctoring at a testing center.  The link for the module is below:

 https://www.ilconstitution.org/
 
CONSTITUTION TEST PREPARATION

The Constitution Study Guide of the United States and State of Illinois can be downloaded here: CSG English or CSG Spanish - Or you can order a printed copy directly from Curriculum Publications Clearinghouse (information below):  

 

Students can still purchase a single copy of a Constitution Study Guide by following the directions below:

1.   Send a check or money order in the amount of $5.15 to: CPC, 1 University Circle, Horrabin Hall 71B, Macomb, IL 61455.

2.   Include a note in the envelope indicating the preferred language of the study guide (Spanish or English) along with the address to which you would like the study guide sent.

3.   Allow 10 days for delivery.

4.   For students who wish to use a debit/credit card, please have them call (309) 756-2194 ext. 2 to place their order and make payment.



GED Transcripts and Certificates:

       Please contact our office at (309) 477-2290 to ensure our office holds your record before you submit your request and payment is made.

  •     Click "GED Transcripts" at the top of this page, and open the form.
  •     High School Equivalency Certificate cost is $10
  •     Transcript cost is $10
    • Check, money orders, or credit/debit card (except American Express) are accepted forms of payment.
  •     Payment to Regional Office of Education upon successful completion of all          four sections & the Constitution requirement.
Note: the Regional Office does not have records for students who graduated from high school, those records are held locally at the schools.

Note: GED records for candidates who tested while incarcerated may be found as follows:

If the candidate tested at a county jail, records are held at the Regional Office of Education for the county where s/he took the test (i.e., the county where the jail is located).

If the candidate tested at a state prison (Illinois Department of Corrections), where the records are held depends on the year they took the test.

  • If the candidate tested prior to 2014, records are held by the Regional Office of Education for the county where s/he took the test (i.e., the county where the IDOC facility is located).
  • If the candidate tested in 2014 or after, records for IDOC facilities are held by the Cook County High School Equivalency Records Office.

If the candidate tested at a federal prison (Federal Bureau of Prisons), Illinois does not hold their records – the federal government is responsible for their records. Their records would need to be ordered online through Parchment. The candidate would need to go to GED’s website for transcript information (https://ged.com/life_after_ged/). On the right, there are two drop-boxes (Select Region, which defaults to English-US and Select Area). The candidate needs to use the “Select Area” box to find “Federal Bureau of Prisons” and then click “Request Transcripts”. They will be redirected to Parchment to create an account and complete their order.