New GED Exam Coming in 2012

If you have started on the path to your GED, or if you're interested in getting your GED, the upcoming changes to the GED in 2012 is important news. What can you expect, and how will it effect you?

The American Council of Education, which runs the GED Testing Service, is updating the GED to assure that it reflects what's required of high school graduates across the U.S. and Canada. Changes in what's taught in high schools mean change in the GED exam. The new test will begin being used on January 1, 2012. Non-English-language editions will follow in 2013.

How do the new GED tests affect you?

If you've taken and passed your GED, the new GED won't affect you. Your GED diploma is yours permanently. However, if you've passed one or more of the GED tests, but not all of them, be aware. Once the new GED is released, your old test scores can't be combined with scores from the new test in other subjects. Test centers won't use the old tests once the new tests are released. People who have passed one or more tests, but not the whole GED, before 2012 will need to retake all the GED tests. So, if you've made progress toward your GED, make a push to pass before the new tests come out.

How will the new GED tests be different?

Here are some of the main changes... In math, there will be fewer basic number operations questions and more geometry, data, and algebra, and you'll have the use of a calculator for the whole test, not just half. There's a new calculator, too, the Casio FX-300ES.

Reading will be very different, with more non-fiction readings, more specific skills, and more comparisons between two readings. The writing test will focus more on organization, including topic sentences, the best placement of sentences, how to join sentences, what to delete, and where to divide text into paragraphs. The essay test may now contain persuasive writing prompts, which ask you to take a side and persuade the reader to a point of view. There are also new grading standards for the essay, with more emphasis on having an organized essay with a main idea and details.

Science will have an increased emphasis on scientific knowledge and life science, as well as higher-order thinking skills like applying, analyzing, and evaluating. Social studies will be reorganized, combining geography, economics, and world history into the category Global Studies. There will also be more emphasis on higher-order thinking skills.

The difficulty of the new GED and the standards for passing will be based on the performance of high school seniors who will be graduating in 2011.

For more information about the upcoming changes in the GED, visit the ACE website at http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ged/2012_Test_Info.htm

About the Author:

Michael Ormsby is the president of The GED Academy and oversees software and curriculum for adult learners and people with educational challenges. For more information, visit http://www.passGED.com . Michael can be contacted by email at: information@passGED.com or by telephone at 800-460-8150.

One Response

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