GED Test Center at MWCC

GED Transcript Request Form (PDF)
GED Testing Schedule (PDF)
Examen de GED en Español (PDF)

GED REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Registration must be done in person at our Gardner office in the Division of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development.  The full fee must be paid at the time of registration.  Cash, check or money orders, or vouchers may be used for payment.  Vouchers will be accepted from the Department of Transitional Assistance, Worker's Assistance Center, and Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.  Testing fees are non-refundable.

Age Requirements

Students must be at least sixteen years of age to register.  Students under the age of eighteen must provide a letter from the last school they attended that states when they withdrew from school and the year their class would graduate.  They must also have a parent or guardian sign a verification of eligibility form.

Other Requirements

Proper, current ID is required.  A current driver's license, or other valid photo ID, or three forms of identification are required.  All registrations for re-tests must also be done in person.

The test is available in English and Spanish on a limited basis.  A large print version is also available in English.  Students must request the large print version in advance.  Limited copies are available.

Persons with a disability who may require modifications in order to participate in a fair testing session should contact the GED chief examiner at (978)630-9173 to determine their eligibility.  Requests should be made prior to registering for any test session.

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Testing Fees
Registration fee:	$65.00*
Retest fee:	$15.00 per test
No Show fee:	$25.00 per test
Transcript fee:	$7.50 per transcript

GED TESTING SITES

GED testing is offered at the following locations throughout the year.  Please refer to our testing schedule for the location of each exam.

MWCC-Gardner Campus
444 Green Street
Gardner, MA 01440

MWCC-Leominster Campus
100 Erdman Way
Leominster, MA 01453

Winchendon Jr./Sr. High School
3 Memorial Drive
Winchendon, MA 01475

MWCC-Devens Learning Center
94 Jackson Road, Suite 311
Devens, MA 01434

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GED TESTING REMINDERS

1. All students must be pre-registered and pre-paid in order to attend a scheduled test session.  No walk-ins will be allowed.
2. Candidates must bring a picture I.D. and the pink receipt or the signed applicant identification form with a receipt.  No one will be admitted to the test session without proper identification. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
3. If a student is unable to attend a test session for which he/she has registered, due to an illness or family emergency, he/she must call the Division of Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development and notify the GED staff or they will be required to pay $25 for each test they miss.  A candidate will be allowed only one cancellation. Any subsequent cancellations will require the student to pay the $25 no show fee per test to re-register for a test session.
4. The person and number to call if there is sufficient reason to cancel is Angela Lunn-Marcustre at (978)630-9173.
5. If it becomes necessary to cancel a test session due to inclement weather, a message will be left on Angela's voice mail (978-630-9173) or you could dial 978-632-6600 and press 6 for MWCC cancellations.
6. Students should be at the test site no later than fifteen minutes before the test is scheduled to begin.  Once testing has begun, no one will be admitted to the test room.  There will be no exceptions to this policy.

For additional information, please contact one of the following GED staff:

Ms. Dale M. Sanborn, GED Chief Examiner
(978)630-9363
d_sanborn@mwcc.mass.edu

or

Ms. Angela Lunn-Marcustre, GED Program Assistant
(978)630-9173
a_lunn-marcustre@mwcc.mass.edu

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GED TEST INFORMATION

The General Education Development (GED) Test consists of five individual tests in the areas of language arts - writing, social studies, science, language arts - reading, and mathematics.  The questions in each of these tests require you to use general knowledge and thinking skills.  Few questions ask about facts, details or definitions.

Even though you may not have finished high school, you have probably gained knowledge and skills through experience, reading and informal training.  The GED Test is designed to measure the important knowledge and skills, usually learned during four years of high school that you may have obtained in a different manner.

Test 1 - Language Arts, Writing

Part I Multiple Choice (50 questions - 75 minutes)

This test asks you to recognize errors in punctuation, capitalization, organization and usage.  In addition, documents that are part of the business environment (letters, memos, meeting notes, e-mail, etc.) and "How To" texts (documents that provide instruction/directions) have been added.  Candidates must be able to recognize sentence structure style that expresses ideas more effectively.

Part II Essay (45 minutes)

Students must respond in writing to a question that presents an issue or situation with which they could be familiar.  Candidates will be asked to draw upon personal observations, knowledge and experience when composing their essay.  Understanding the question requires no specialized knowledge.  The topic will be assigned at the time of testing.  Examinees receive a composite score for the two parts of the test.  Scores are not reported separately.

Test 2 - Social Studies (50 items - 70 minutes)

This test includes questions on history, geography, civics, government, and economics.  The test also includes at least one real life document such as voter's guide, tax forms, budget tools, etc. Additionally, you may find one excerpt/adaptation from the US Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Federalist Papers and/or landmark Supreme Court Cases.

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Test 3 - Science (50 Items - 80 minutes)

Life science, physical science and earth & space science are included in this test.  Test questions with graphic content comprise 50% of the science test.  IN addition, the science test contains an increased focus in environmental and health topics (recycling, heredity, prevention of disease, pollution and climate) and an increased emphasis on science relevant to everyday life.  Half of the items are conceptual understanding of questions while the remaining items are problem-solving questions.

Test 4 - Language Arts, Reading (40 Items - 65 minutes)

The content of this test consists of 75% literary text and 25% non-fiction text.  Passages reflect diversity in perspective (gender, ethnicity and age) and each test form will include one drama and one poetry selection.  Items on this test measure the avility to understand, apply, analyze and synthesize literary selections.

Test 5 - Mathematics

Part I Calculator (25 Items - 45 minutes)

Part II Pencil & Paper (25 items - 45 minutes)

This test covers the areas of measurement, algebra, geometry, number relations with an emphasis on data analysis and statistics.  Candidatesmay use a scientific calculator only during part one of this exam.  Approximately 20% of the items are alternate format (not multiple choice) and other item sets include pie charts, bar graphs and tables.  Scrap paper will be provided to all test candidates.

What is a Passing Mark?

Tests are not marked on the basis of 100.  TO achieve a passing score you must have:

• An overall average of 450 on the five tests for a total score of 2250 AND
• No individual test score below 410.

The following examples illustrate the test score policy:

Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
Test 1:  410	Test 1:  520	Test 1:  410
Test 2:  500	Test 2:  480	Test 2:  480
Test 3:  450	Test 3:  460	Test 3:  440
Test 4:  450	Test 4:  460	Test 4:  550
Test 5:  420	Test 5:  390	Test 5:  410
Total Score:  2230	Total Score:  2310	Total Score:  2290

Example 1:  FAILED:  All scores are 410 or above, but the total is not 2250.
Example 2:  FAILED:  The total score is acceptable, but one score is under 410.
Example 3:  PASSED:  All scores are at least 410 and the total is above 2250.

For more information, please contact Ms. Angela Lunn-Marcustre at (978)630-9173 or via e-mail at a_lunn-marcustre@mwcc.mass.edu.

GED
(978) 630-9173