General Equivalency Diplomas

The most common form of high school diploma equivalency is the GED. Created in 1942 as a way for young war recruits to recover their time lost in high school, the GED serves virtually the same purpose now. However, the tests are now available to citizens nationwide, and there are over 3,000 testing centers in North America alone. It is highly likely that you can find a testing center near you.

What's on the GED Exams?

The test consists of five major subjects, which are all highly focused on in traditional high schools. Those subjects are mathematics, science, social studies, reading and writing. Each subject covers very specific details and sub-topics. The science section, for example, is comprised of 35 percent physical science, 45 percent life science, and 20 percent space science questions. These questions are generally multiple choice, with some diagram interpretation involved as well.

The social studies section is comprised of American history, world history, civics, government and geography. The writing exams are tested in two ways: multiple choice and essay questions. In short, every section has subsections that vary according to topic.Though a lot of the test questions are items learned mostly in school, the test is designed to allow those who have not attended school in quite some time to do equally as well as those who recently left.

All of these topics are designed to make the testing individuals aware of the increasing globalization of economies worldwide. The GED is periodically changed to catch up with current educational and economic standards. Its most recent update in January 2002 was geared towards providing skills that are applicable to our changing business world. Having this knowledge is highly beneficial to successfully obtaining a job, in the business world especially. Employers are more likely to accept a global-thinking individual than just someone who has memorized facts.