Individuals who are eligible to take the New Jersey General Education Development test include those who have not graduated from high school or yet received a high school equivalency diploma or certificate. The individual must be at least 16 years old and not enrolled in high school. Anyone 16 or 17 years old must have a certificate of consent from a parent or guardian. Testers must bring primary and secondary identification with them to the test.
The New Jersey General Education Development test is generally taken over a two-day period. It comprises five multiple tests. The five tests cover writing skills, science, social studies, mathematics and interpreting literature and the arts.
The writing skills portion of the test measures the test taker's ability to edit and correct sentence-structure problems. The test also includes an essay question for the test taker to answer. The social studies test captures the test taker's comprehensive skills regarding history, geography, economics, political science and behavioral science. The science test covers biology, chemistry, earth science and physics. The mathematics test covers algebra, geometry and data analysis. During the test on interpreting literature and the arts, individuals will be asked to interpret classical literature, popular literature and commentary on the arts. No prior knowledge is necessary.
Test takers must earn a minimum passing score of 410 for each section, and a minimum of 2,250 points total on the test. For example, if the student achieves 400 on the mathematics portion of the test, he will not pass the test.
New Jersey State Department of Education has a list of approved GED testing sites. The test may be taken only in these locations. An individual can take the test no more than three times during a year. It costs $50 to register for the test. A test date can be rescheduled, if needed, if the testing center receives proper notice.