A high school diploma is important, no doubt about it. However, for many people, high school is not a tolerable location or experience- and I don’t mean that it “sucks” for many people, because high school sucks for literally everyone, but for some people it is so detrimental to their well being that they are forced to drop out. This was my situation.

Fortunately, I was able to get my GED (General Education Diploma) halfway through what would have been my senior year of high school. It was a long process to get it, but I was awarded my diploma on January 28^th, 2015, and I learned a lot along the way- and not only how to find the angle of shadows, either!

*This was my own personal experience in getting my GED in 2014-15 in the state of Illinois. It is by no means universal.

1. In addition to the four subtests you will be required to take, you need to take and pass the Illinois Constitution Test.

I dropped out of high school without finishing an American History course, so I never took the Constitution Test while I was in high school. I studied the US Constitution extensively, only to find out while taking the test that it covers mostly the Illinois Constitution rather than the U.S. Constitution. I passed anyways.

2.You’re not as good as retaining information, especially math-related information, as you thought you were.

I’ve never been very good at math in the first place, but when I began a short study course to prepare for the math module of the GED I wasn’t concerned. But as I got into the actual course, I realized that not only am I not good at math, I didn’t remember much of what I learned in high school or even late middle school. Math was the only subject on the GED I did not get an honors-level score in.

3.The subtests take less time than they tell you they’ll take.

By no means did I speed through any of the four test modules (Math, Science, Social Studies, and Reasoning in Language Arts). They give you about 3 hours to complete each test- test takers are allowed to take the tests on different days if they so desire. It took me about an hour and 45 minutes to complete the RLA module, which was my longest test. If you are planning on taking the GED anytime soon, don’t sweat the time limit.

4.Taking the GED costs money.

Education is never free, unfortunately. Each of the 4 test modules cost $30 to take each time you take them. If you pass all the tests needed for your GED on the first try, it will cost you $120. The Constitution test is free- if you contact a testing location and they inform you that they charge money to administer the test, they are a scam.

5.It’s all done through a computer. And I mean all of it.

To register to take the test and to confirm that you meet all the requirements, you have to visit the GED's official website. This is where you’ll find testing locations, study materials, and transcript order information. This is also where you will be informed of your scores after you take the tests.

Speaking of the tests, the test modules themselves are also done on a computer- no old school Scantrons for the state of Illinois (those are so 2011)

6. There are a lot more people who have GEDs instead of a traditional high school diploma than you’d think.

It very much surprised me when I started telling people that I am a high school dropout but have a GED, that many other people tell you “oh, so do I.” Many immigrants get their GEDs as well, before or after passing their ESL courses. There is no shame in having left high school; a GED is just as good as any other high school diploma.

If you want to get your GED, please visit the GED's website for more information on how to take the next steps!