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Five Tests Core Academic Areas
Language Arts: Writing
- Will carry an emphasis on organization in addition to the three present content areas (sentence structure, usage, and mechanics)
- Organization involves transition within paragraphs, creating effective text divisions, topic sentences, and unity/coherence
- Will have a new scoring scale for Part II, the timed essay
- Instructions for writing the essay will change to include directions asking the candidate to draw upon his or her personal observations, knowledge and experience
What's the Same:
- 45 minute essay
- 3 items types (correction, revision & construction shift)
- Sentence structure, usage & mechanics
- Information documents (passages)
- Candidates will continue to read and interpret:
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Prose
- Poetry
- Drama
From a variety of cultures and time periods
What's eliminated:
- Spelling - except for homonyms, possessives and contractions
- Commas - only tested when they are used to eliminated confusion
What's New
Business Communications
- Letters
- Memos
- Reports
- Appilcations
These documents will have 200-300 words(12 - 18 sentences)
"How to" texts - documents that provide instructions or directions
- Securing a job
- Writing a resume
- Dressing for success
- Leasing a car
- Planning a trip
These documents will have 200-300 words(12 - 18 sentences)
Organization -
- Transitions
- Text divisions
- Topic sentences
- Unity/coherence
- Social Studies
Social Studies
What's the Same:
- Multiple choice in sets and single items
- Measures comprehension, application analysis, and evaluation
- National, global, and adult contexts
- Text and visual sources
- Test covers - History
- Geography
- Civics
- Government
- Economics
What's eliminated:
Behavioral science - Psychology, sociology, anthropology -
- Not tested as separate content area
- Some concepts tested within context of other areas
What's New
- More history, civics and government
- More graphics, photographs
- More clearly defined content in U.S. and world history
- More analysis
- More single - item questions
At least one except from one of the following: - Declaration of Independence
- United States Constitution
- Federalist Papers
- a landmark Supreme Court decision
At least one "practical" document:
Science
Requires candidates to:
- select the best way to set up and experiment
- Interpret others' results
- Analyze experimental flaws
- Apply scientific conclusions to their personal lives
- Use the work of renowned scientists to explain everyday global scientific issues
What's the Same:
- Multiple - choice in sets and single items
- Text and visual sources
What's eliminated:
- More single items
- Fewer item sets
What's New
- Earth science includes space science
- Physical science includes physics and chemistry
- Increased focus on environmental and health topics (recycling, climate, pollution, heredity)
- Science's relevance to everyday life
Language Arts
What's the Same:
- Reflect diversity - gender, ethnicity, age, region
- Passages range from 300 - 400 words
- One poem (8 - 25 lines)
- One piece of drama
- No graphics viewing addressed in textual manner
What's eliminated:
- Definitions
- Popular Text and Classical Literature
- "Literal comprehension" is now "comprehension"
- "Inferential comprehension" is now "synthesis"
What's New
- content areas defined by type of text
- Literary 75%
- Non-fiction 25%
- At least one comparison/contrast question
- Non-fiction will include one business document
- One selection about visual representation
Mathematics
- Has two booklets
- Part I - permits use of calculator
- Part II - no calculator allowed
- All GED Candidates will use the Casio fx - 260 Solar calculator
- Candidates may practice with calculator prior to testing
What's the Same:
- Measures algebra, geometry, number relations, and data analysis
- 25% set - up questions -
- candidate is not required to calculate the response, but identify the correct way to solve a problem
What's eliminated:
- "Not sufficient information" questions decreased from 12% to 4%
What's New
- More emphasis on data analysis and statistics
- Alternate format items approximately 20%
- Item sets in which candidate must access multiple pieces of information - pie charts, bar graphs, tables
