Kentucky to Offer Free GED Testing for Limited Time
(FRANKFORT, Ky.) The GED test will be free in Kentucky through June 30. Kentuckians taking the test during that timeframe will not have to pay the usual $55 fee. Kentucky Adult Education, a unit of the Council on Postsecondary Education, will pay the fee.
We are pleased to offer this incentive because it will help many Kentuckians re-energize their education and career, said Council on Postsecondary Education President Bob King.
Free GED classes are available through local adult education programs in all 120 Kentucky counties. To be eligible to take the GED, students must first successfully complete the GED Official Practice Test to make sure they are prepared for the actual test. In 10 years, nearly 105,848 Kentuckians have earned a GED, ranking Kentucky 13th highest in the nation in the percentage of non-high school completers earning a GED.
Most of us have been affected in some way by the tough economic times over the past couple of years, and the impact is even greater if you are looking for work and do not have your high school diploma, said Reecie D. Stagnolia, vice president, Kentucky Adult Education. We see this as a way to help the individual student and to help increase GED attainment in Kentucky at the same time.
As the economy recovers, this is an excellent time for people who do not have a high school credential to earn their GED and transition to postsecondary education so that theyre prepared for the workforce.
The GED tests provide adults who did not finish high school with the opportunity to certify their attainment of high school-level academic knowledge and skills. The GED consists of five parts reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies. Completing the entire test battery takes just over seven hours.
The GED tests are currently offered only in a paper-pencil format at official GED Testing Centers the tests cannot be taken online. State GED administrators often receive reports from adults who have spent time and precious resources pursuing what they believe are accredited high school equivalency credentials online. Consumers find, after spending $200-$1,200, that these dubious credentials are not accepted by either employers, colleges or universities.
Kentuckians interested in taking advantage of free classes and the time-limited free GED testing should contact the adult education center in their county to discuss how to get started. To find the local adult education center, call (800) 928-7323 or visit www.kentuckyged.org.
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Kentuckys postsecondary and adult education system is improving the economic vitality of the Commonwealth and the lives of Kentuckians. By raising educational attainment, Kentucky will attract higher wage and knowledge-based business and industry. The overall quality of life for Kentuckians will also improve with higher incomes and levels of employment, better health, less obesity, more volunteerism, and lower crime and public assistance rates.
