The total cost for the five-part test will be $160.
According to a media release, the new price structure applies to all current tests and coincides with the nationwide implementation of a computer-based GED test. The TCSG Office of Adult Education is piloting the computer-based test at two technical colleges and plans to implement it at all GED testing centers statewide by year-end.
This is the first price increase for the GED test in five years, when the previous cost for each of the five test components rose from $13 to the current $19 (or $95 for the full test). The new price factors in the cost of the development, implementation, delivery and use of the test, including the computer-based version.
Georgia’s adult learners who want to improve their education have access to free programs that offer adult education and GED (general education diploma) preparation through the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) Office of Adult Education.
The only cost that adult learners must pay is the GED test fee.
“The computer-based GED test is being implemented nationwide, and Georgia is one of the first states to use it. This is an important step for our state since the new GED test that’s scheduled for release in 2014 will be only available on computer,” said Beverly Smith, TCSG assistant commissioner for adult education. “Our ability to begin student preparation early will be a plus for our test-takers. We’ve been working in close collaboration with the national GED Testing Service in Washington, D.C. to ensure that Georgia’s adult learners can make an easy and successful transition to the paperless test.”
Once fully deployed, the computer-based GED test will provide additional benefits to Georgia’s test-takers, including the use of basic technology that’s required for many job applications as well as in training programs and workplaces. From hospitals to construction sites, computer use is a common skill that’s expected in today’s job market. Technology integration in the workforce will continue trending upward, and Georgia’s adult learners will gain from using the basic keyboarding skills required to take the GED test on computer.
According to Nicole M. Chestang, executive vice president of the GED Testing Service, “Georgia’s test-takers will also benefit by receiving instant unofficial scores for four of the five subject tests, and in 2014 GED testing on computer will add a significantly enhanced and expanded score report – rather than the current pass/fail approach.”
She said that “in 2014 test-takers will be able to receive not just the traditional high school equivalency, but also a new career- and college-ready endorsement for easier entry into the workforce and college training programs.”
Qualified students who cannot afford the fees will be eligible to apply for grants through the TCSG colleges and local community organizations, like the Catoosa Citizens for Literacy. All of the other essential adult education programs, including Adult Basic Education, GED test preparation classes, college and career advisement and English as a Second Language classes remain available free of charge to any Georgian. Last year, almost 80,000 Georgians took advantage of these programs.
Smith said that the new cost structure should not deter anyone, regardless of their income, from taking and passing a test that will change their lives for the better, including the potential for a higher-paying job and access to a college education.
“Students who think that they won’t be able to cover the cost or who need other assistance shouldn’t hesitate to get more information from their local GED testing center or the TCSG Office of Adult Education,” she said. “Individuals who qualify based on need can get help with access to grant money from the TCSG Foundation, TCSG college foundations and local literacy partners. And we’re actively seeking more individual, civic and corporate donors who are willing to help the more than 1.2 million adult Georgians who need a GED diploma.”
In fiscal year 2011, almost 28,000 people took the GED test in Georgia and over 19,000 passed it and earned their GED diploma, she said, adding that more than 9,500 people received fee assistance to take the test, and “we expect to substantially increase that number in the coming year.”
There are added benefits for completing the program and passing the tests.
“Once they earn a GED diploma, the state presents graduates who are Georgia residents with a $500 HOPE voucher that can be used to enroll at a TCSG college, which in turn opens the door to receive the HOPE grant,” Smith said.
The HOPE grant, which is separate from the voucher, will pay for a large portion of the state technical college tuition. To keep the HOPE grant, students must maintain at least a 3.0 college grade-point-average.
A list of all of Georgia’s GED testing centers and more information is available at tcsg.edu/forAdultLearners.php.
More about computer-based GED testing
· Register online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
· Go online day or night to schedule a test and even schedule on a test day
· Easy choice of a test center location, day and time convenient to the test-taker
· Instant unofficial results given at completion of most tests (except for Language Arts – Writing test)
· Increased time for testing with a substantial reduction of administrative tasks
· Increased security (electronic tests downloaded/uploaded with no internet connection during testing)
· Ability to expand GED test centers in more Georgia counties with the use of existing local computer labs
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