GED® vs. HiSET® Test

GED® vs. HiSET®: Which test should you take?

When it comes to obtaining your High School Equivalency/Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma (CSSD), there are two options for test takers in Pennsylvania - the GED® test and the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET®). Here is a comparison of the two tests:

GED Test®

HiSET Test®

Four Test Subject Areas:

Reasoning through Language Arts – Reading and Writing
Mathematical Reasoning
Science
Social Studies

Five Test Subject Areas:

Language Arts – Reading
Language Arts – Writing
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies

Cost:

$36 per subject area, $144 total (Computer-based testing)
$36 per subject area, $144 total (Online at-home testing)

Cost:

$23 per subtest, $115 total (Paper-based testing)
$23 per subtest, $115 total (Computer-based testing)
$28.25 per subtest, $141.25 total (Online at-home testing)

Format:

Computer-based test (Armstrong Co.)
Online At-home test

Format:

Paper-based test (Armstrong & Indiana Co.)
Computer-based test (Armstrong Co.)
Online At-home test

Scoring:

Results are posted on MyGED® in less than 3 hours

NOTE: You can combine GED and HiSET scores

Scoring:

Scores are posted within:

3-5 business after a multiple-choice test
6-10 business days after an essay test

NOTE: You can combine GED and HiSET scores

Question Type:

Extended Response
Drag-and-Drop
Fill-in-the-Blank
Hot Spot
Multiple Choice

Question Type:

Multiple Choice
Essay

There is a 60-day waiting period after the 2^nd retake in a subject area.

You may only test three times in each subject within a calendar year. After you’ve tested three times, you will have to wait to retest the next year.

Create an account to schedule and pay for the GED® by visiting www.ged.com

Create an account to schedule and pay for the HiSET® by visiting http://hiset.org