MTC Announces Upcoming Changes to the GED Testing Process

The General Equivalency Diploma (GED) test is coming to Marion Technical College (MTC). Though the MTC ABLE program serving Marion, Morrow, and Wyandot Counties has been hosted at MTC for the past three years, in late July and early August, the actual GED test provided by Marion City Schools will also be located on the Marion Campus at Marion Technical College in the Technical Education Center’s room 150.

If a person needs to register to take the GED test, a person must complete the on-line application available at www.ode.state.oh.us and pay the $40 testing fee.  Once that application is authorized, a person can then schedule to take his/her test.  Scheduling is done on-line. An authorized test taker will see the options to either schedule by date or by county.

Marion City Schools will typically offer a day testing, an evening testing, and many months, a Saturday testing.  Gary Murray, an employee of Marion City Schools is the official GED Examiner.  But authorized test-takers can schedule to take the test at any official GED Test Center.

This fall, the computer based testing version (CBT) of the 2002 version of the GED test will also be coming to Marion Technical College’s Center for Workforce Development (CWD).  The CWD currently hosts a Pearson-Vue testing center which will be the only venue at which to take the GED test starting in 2014.  MTC’s CWD is one of three pilot sites in the state of Ohio that will offer the current form of the test in the CBT format.

With a change of format comes a change in price. To take the CBT format of the GED test, it will be $120 for the complete battery. To take only one section, the charge will be $24. More details will be available later this fall as to how to register for this option and the hours for testing will be more frequent than the currently scheduled paper and pencil testings.

Marion City Schools will continue to be the agency to contact for rescheduling and retesting of the GED. The phone number to call is (740) 223-4422. Leave a message if no is available and someone will return your call within a day or two.

For information about the ABLE program, call 740-389-4636 ext. 223.

For information about registering to take the test, one may call either agency.

Everyone who needs a GED test is being encouraged to start the process now.  In January of 2014, a new version of the GED will be introduced.  It is expected to be more difficult as it will be aligned with the Common Core State Standards.  It will be computer based for the testing and require a certain level of keyboarding skills, and it will be more expensive at $120.  People should not wait until the last minutes as it takes time to prepare for the test and only a certain number of testing slots will be available as the deadline draws near.