The number of students taking the General Educational Development exam through NPCC is on the rise. Sign-ups declined dramatically last year after changes were made to the exam by the GED Testing Service.
“The changes went into effect in January of 2014, and it was a couple months after that before we had anyone come in to test,” said Kathy Fickenscher, GED chief examiner at NPCC. “In 2013, we had 77 completers and in 2014, there were 12.”
Among other things, the exam became entirely computer-based, and the number of tests was reduced from five to four as the reading and writing sections were combined into “Reasoning Through Language Arts.” The essay component was dropped altogether.
People were no longer required to be a resident of Nebraska to take the GED in the state, and the wait time for scores changed from up to two weeks to within 24 hours.
“The new version also incorporates more of the high-level thinking and constructed response type answers,” Fickenscher said. “In the past, the science and social studies tests were multiple choice. They are not that way anymore.”
She and Robin Rankin, area director of adult education for Mid-Plains Community College, believe a combination of fear of the new tests and the fact that computer skills are needed to take them contributed to the decline in people signing up for the exam.
“There was a real push from people who wanted to take the GED in 2013, before the changes went into effect,” said Rankin. “As a result, we graduated more than we normally would have. Only 400-some passed the GED in Nebraska last year – down from nearly 2000 in 2012.”
There are still misconceptions that the exam can be taken on a home computer and that all testing sites are valid – including scams advertised online.
“There are a lot of bogus sites out there,” said Fickenscher. “Testing has to be done at an approved testing center, of which we have two in our MPCC service area – one at McCook Community College and one at NPCC. The one at NPCC is the only certified testing site in North Platte.”
She has noticed some positive aspects to the exam changes.
“I think the GED Testing Service is on target by coming up with a product that demonstrates people are college and career – ready,” said Fickenscher. “In the past, ‘GED’ kind of had that negative stigma attached to it. We have seen new names showing up on our testing calendar, so we have more people showing interest. Yesterday, three people inquired about taking the GED.”
According to Rankin, only a small percentage of colleges and universities won’t accept a GED in place of a high school diploma. There aren’t many employers that don’t require at least one of the documents.
Help, including computer skills training, is available to those who want to pursue a GED. Rankin’s department offers free practice tests to those enrolled in adult education classes through MPCC. She can be reached at (308) 535-3637.
People can also pay for practice tests online at https://ged.com. Those outline specific areas that need to be improved and let the test taker know if he or she is likely to pass the real exam.
“I would definitely encourage people who are considering taking the GED to do it,” said Rankin. “It’s more than a test. It’s the first step to building better lives for themselves and their families.”