Today marks the beginning of two weeks of free GED practice tests nationwide.
The “See for Free” program allows students to take GED practice tests for free from now until October 3.
GED practice tests typically cost $24, according to EMCC Director of Adult Basic Education James Bearden.
Although the free practice tests will be available nationwide, testing centers can create additional incentives. At East Mississippi Community College, students who score “likely to pass” on sections of the GED practice test will be eligible for a voucher to take those sections of the actual GED test free of charge, should they enroll in EMCC Launch Pad courses.
Students will be able to take sections of the GED test one at a time and at their own pace during this two week period, which Bearden hopes will encourage more people to come out and see where they are at in terms of obtaining their GED.
Bearden said that numbers of students taking the GED has fallen recently, and that finances play a big role in that.
“At the beginning of 2014 the cost to take the GED test rose from $75 to $120,” Bearden said. “And the test itself changed, with the biggest difference being the difficulty level in mathematics. The math section is more geared toward Common Core and a little bit heavier on algebra.”
EMCC is offering the courses at all its campuses, including the Golden Triangle campus and at Lion Hills, where their computer lab is now up and running.
Bearden is hopeful that the incentives attached to the nationwide “See for Free” program will encourage many students to pursue further education.
Bearden said that after this testing period, EMCC hopes to open their Adult Basic Education or Launch Pad classes at Lion Hills.
“At the end of the two week promotion, we hope to have enough people built up to be able start our classes,” Bearden said. “The first Monday in October we will start classes at Lion Hills.”
“We have set a goal of 100 students actually progressing to the GED test as a result of this,” Bearden told The Dispatch.
Columbus residents will also be able to participate in the “See for Free” program through the Greater Columbus Learning Center and any other GED testing facility within the Golden Triangle, provided they are above 17 and not currently enrolled in high school.
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