GED Pass Scores Lowered

SCOOBA, Miss. (Press Release) – More than 600 Mississippians to earn diploma retroactively

Earning a GED just got easier. The company that administers GED testing for many states has lowered the score it takes to pass each subject area from 150 to 145.
Officials with GED Testing Service announced the changes Tuesday, explaining that data shows students who took the GED test were being held to a higher academic standard than their counterparts in high school.
Mississippi has adopted the lower test score effective immediately, according to an email to community college educators by Sandy Crist, state director for Adult Education & High School Equivalency, Mississippi Community College Board.
Officials with GED Testing Service also recommend that states grant a GED to students who have taken the test since Jan. 1, 2014, and scored at least 145 in each subject area.
“What this means for Mississippi: We will be issuing an additional 637 High School Equivalency Diplomas – grandfathering those students in from January 1, 2014,” Crist wrote in the email.
At East Mississippi Community College, Adult Basic Education Director Jim Bearden said Tuesday his staff is scrambling to identify students who have passed all or portions of the test under the new guidelines.
Bearden said his office has already identified eight students who have taken the test and now qualify to receive their diploma. There may be more.
On the GED test, students must earn a passing score of 145 in each of the following areas: Reasoning through Language Arts; Mathematical Reasoning; Science; and Social Studies. Students who earned a 145 or greater in any of the four test areas will not need to retake that portion of the test, Bearden said.
“The pressing need right now is to get the word out so people who have passed part of the test will not be rescheduling to take that part again,” Bearden said. “We want students who have taken the test to review their account, so they don’t pay to retake a portion of the test if they do not need to do so.
“I’ve got a list of 37 or 38 people who have passed parts of the test who do not know that they passed. Some are current students and some are former students. All of my staff are trying to call them to let them know.”
Nationwide, GED Testing Service officials estimate more than 25,000 adults will be eligible to receive their GED diploma under the new guidelines, and more than 100,000 now have a passing score in one or more GED test subject areas.
Students who received a passing score under the new guidelines can expect to see their updated scores and information on their MyGED account on March 1. Students who have moved should update their address on their account.
Bearden said the lower score requirement will make it easier for those who have struggled with the test.
“There are a lot of people who took the practice test and could not quite get over the hump, scoring a 147 or a 148,” Bearden said. “We want to encourage students who have been holding off, thinking they weren’t quite ready, to renew preparations to take the test now that the passing score has been lowered.”
GED Testing Service has also added two additional performance levels: GED College Ready, used to signify readiness to enter credit-bearing college courses; and GED College Ready + Credit, which may qualify students for up to 10 hours of college credit.
The new GED test performance levels are:
● Pass / High School Equivalency (Score > 145)
● GED College Ready (Score > 165)
● GED College Ready + Credit (Score > 175)
More information about the testing requirements is available online at http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/tester-score-change-faqs.