How is the GED Scored?

If you’re planning to take the GED® or thinking about it, a great place to start is familiarizing yourself with the basic structure of each section.  Here’s everything you need to know about scores on the GED®. Each GED® Test (RLA, Mathematical Reasoning, Social Studies, and Science) on the GED® is scored on a scale from 100 to 200.

There are four possible scores that you can receive on the GED® Test:

Not Passing: This indicates that you scored lower than 145 on any of the four tests. As a general rule, you’ll need to answer at least 60-65% of a section’s questions correctly to achieve a passing score. Practice until you’re confident you’ll be able to pass the exam. If you do not pass, you can reschedule up to two times a year to retake any or all of the tests.

GED® Passing Score/High School Equivalency: This indicates that you scored at or higher than the minimum score (145 per test) needed to demonstrate high school equivalency–level skills and knowledge.

*Points on one test do not carry over to the others; that is, if you score 190 on one and 100 on another, that is not equivalent to scoring 145 on both. You need to score 145 on each of the four tests individually.

GED® College Ready: This indicates that you scored between 165-175, demonstrating career and college readiness. A College Ready score can indicate to a college that you may not need placement testing or remediation before beginning a college degree program.

[ TRY KAPLAN’S GED PRACTICE QUESTIONS: Social Studies • Mathematical Reasoning • Science •  Language Arts ]

GED® College Ready + Credit: This indicates that you scored a minimum of a 175, demonstrating you’ve already mastered some skills that would be taught in college courses. Depending on a school’s policy, this could translate to a number of actual college credits–saving you time and money during your college education.

[ GOOD TO KNOW: What to expect on GED test day ]

Here are a few notes about scoring on the GED:

• Scoring is based on the number of points a test-taker earns in each section rather than on the number of questions the test-taker gets correct.
• Different questions have different point values. For example, questions in which a test-taker is asked to fill in two blanks or choose options from two drop-down menus are worth two points.
• The number of questions a test-taker will see on test day may vary from one form of the test to another.

The total number of points available on each test is as follows:

• Reasoning Through Language Arts: 65 raw points
• Mathematical Reasoning: 49 raw points
• Social Studies: 44 raw points
• Science: 40 raw points

For more detail on passing score standards, visit the testmaker’s website.

Test-takers must earn a minimum of 145 on each subject test in order to pass overall. It is no longer the case that a high score on one test can compensate for a below-passing score on another test. If a test-taker scores below 145 on any of the subject tests, the test-taker must retake those subject tests regardless of her performance on other subject tests.

We encourage test-takers to take the GED Ready™ Official Practice Tests as a final step before scheduling their actual GED® test.

The GED Ready™ Official Practice Tests are available from the MyGED™ portal. Register at ged.com.

Note: The GED® Test on computer is only offered at official Pearson Vue Testing Centers. Any Internet-based test that claims to be the GED® Test is not the actual test. At the MyGED™ portal, you can access study resources, take a practice test, or schedule your test. You cannot take the real GED® test online.

[ KEEP STUDYING: Understanding the GED or Top Tips for the GED ]