What is GED Testing?

Learn How GED Can Help You

Download the GED Information Booklet (PDF, 252 KB)

Watch the Prove Yourself video

GED Testing is for adults who left high school without a diploma.

People who take and pass the GED earn an Ontario High School Equivalency Certificate.

The ILC is the exclusive provider of General Educational Development (GED) Testing in Ontario.

The GED was established in 1942 and is recognized throughout Canada and the United States.

What the Tests Show

The GED Tests provide adults who did not complete a formal high school program the opportunity to demonstrate high-school level knowledge and skills.

Why People Write the GED Tests

The GED Test is for you if you want to:

  • receive a high school equivalency certificate
  • qualify for employment
  • gain promotion within your own organization
  • apply for admission to an educational or training institution
  • enter an apprenticeship program

Who Can Take the GED Tests

To take the GED Test in Ontario, you must:

  • be at least 18 years old
  • have not graduated from high school
  • have been out of the school system for at least one full year
  • be a resident of Ontario

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What is On the GED Tests

The GED Tests are a set of five tests in the core high school curriculum areas:

  • Language Arts: Writing
  • Language Arts: Reading
  • Mathematics
    • Part 1 (use of calculator)
    • Part 2 (no calculator)
  • Social Studies
  • Science

The tests measure important knowledge and skills (such as your ability to understand and apply information; to evaluate, analyze, and draw conclusions; and to express ideas and opinions in writing) that are usually acquired during a regular high school program of study. See the complete test outline.

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Test Questions

  • The tests contain questions that require the use of important ideas and thinking skills
  • Few of the questions ask for isolated details, definitions, or specific facts.
  • Multiple-choice questions are used for each of the five tests.
  • The Language Arts: Writing Test includes an essay component that a candidate must pass in order to receive a score for the test.
  • The Mathematics Test includes the use of standard and coordinate plane grids and a calculator.

Types of Tests

The tests are available in English and French. Special editions and testing accommodations are available to help people with special needs and physical and/or learning disabilities.

The tests used in Canada have been developed especially for Canadians.

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