Trend Data EDUCATED - IMPROVE School Performance GOCF outcome indicator: GED completion rate high school-aged students Georgians Who Passed the GED, by Age, 2008 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 16 17 18 19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-49 50-59 65+ Data Source:2008 GED Testing Program Statistical Report . As an alternative to a high school diploma, the General Educational Development tests (GED) are a set of 5 tests covering the content areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Students who have not or do not graduate from high school may take the GED in lieu of a high school diploma. Many jobs and colleges recognize the GED as a measure of skills and competency comparable to a high school diploma. In order to be eligible to take the GED, a candidate must be a recognized resident of the jurisdiction in which they are taking the GED, must not have earned a high school diploma from an accredited high school, must not be currently enrolled in an accredited high school, and must be at least 16 years old. In 2008, Georgia teenagers between the ages of 16-19 represented 45.5% of those candidates that took the GED and passed (see chart for age breakdown). Young adults ages 20-24 represented the next highest age class of candidates that passed the GED, totaling 25.3%. Data Sources Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, 2010. Get GED, 2010. May 2010 Trend Data GED Tests Breakdown Writing Skills, Part I (50 questions, 75 minutes) 15% Organization 30% Sentence Structure 30% Usage 25% Mechanics Writing Skills, Part II (45 minutes) Essay Social Studies (50 questions, 70 minutes) 15% History 30% Geography 30% Civics and Government 25% Economics Science (50 questions, 80 minutes) 45% Life Science 20% Earth and Space Science 35% Physical Sciences Language Arts, Reading (40 questions, 60 minutes) 20% Comprehension 15% Application 30-35% Analysis 30-35% Synthesis Mathematics (50 questions, 90 minutes) Number operations Algebra Measurement/Geometry Data analysis/statistics