GED test day: what to bring, test center or online
Bring a non-expired, government-issued photo ID with your name, date of birth, signature and photo. At a test center, check in at least 15 minutes early; you may bring your own TI-30XS MultiView calculator. Online, log in 30 minutes early with a webcam, reliable internet, a private room and a green GED Ready score from the last 60 days.
Key facts
Bring a non-expired, government-issued photo ID with your name, date of birth, signature and photo.
Test center: check in at least 15 minutes early. More than 15 minutes late and you may not be admitted and could lose your test fee.
Online: log in to GED.com 30 minutes early. Check-in takes photos of you, your ID and your workspace.
Online testing needs a green GED Ready score in that subject within the last 60 days.
Test times: Mathematical Reasoning 115 minutes; Reasoning Through Language Arts 150 minutes; Science 90 minutes; Social Studies 70 minutes. Total 425 minutes.
Test center checklist
The week before: Confirm your date, time and test center address in your GED.com account. You can reschedule or cancel for free at least 24 hours ahead.
The week before: Plan your route, parking and childcare so you can check in at least 15 minutes early.
The week before: If you need accommodations such as extra time or breaks, request them in your GED.com account before you schedule. Most requests take about 30 days.
The week before: Practice with the tools you will have: the on-screen calculator, the calculator reference sheet and, for math, the formula sheet.
What to bring: A non-expired, government-issued photo ID that shows your name, date of birth, signature and photo, such as a passport, driver’s license, learner’s permit or state ID card.
What to bring: Optional: your own TI-30XS MultiView calculator for Math Part 2, Science and Social Studies. It stays in storage during Math Part 1.
What to bring: Only what you need. Phones, watches, wallets, keys, bags, coats and notes stay in a secure area outside the testing room.
What you are given: Three erasable note boards and a marker for scratch work.
What you are given: An on-screen calculator (Math Part 2, Science and Social Studies) and the calculator reference sheet.
What you are given: The math formula sheet, at the test center and on screen. You do not have to memorize formulas.
What you are given: Screen settings anyone can use: change the colors, change the text size and highlight text.
Arrival and check-in: Check in at least 15 minutes before your appointment. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, you may not be admitted and could lose your test fee.
During the test: No eating, drinking, gum or talking in the testing room. Hats stay outside unless they are worn for religious or medical reasons.
During the test: Answer every question. GED Testing Service makes no score deductions for incorrect answers.
During the test: Use the timer in the upper right corner and your pacing checkpoints. Flag slow questions and come back.
Breaks: Math has a 3-minute break between Part 1 (no calculator) and Part 2. RLA has a 10-minute break between Parts 2 and 3. Science and Social Studies have no break.
Breaks: With more than one test in one appointment, you get a 10-minute break after each test. Unscheduled breaks are not allowed.
Online (at-home) test checklist
The week before: Confirm your date, time, AM or PM and time zone. Online proctors work 24 hours a day, so 12:00 AM means midnight. You can reschedule or cancel any time before the appointment.
The week before: Have a green ("Likely to Pass") GED Ready score for this subject from the last 60 days. You need it to schedule an online test.
The week before: Run the official system test on the computer, webcam and internet you will use. Do it days ahead: if something goes wrong at test time, you cannot test and you lose your payment.
The week before: Make sure you will be inside the United States. Online testing is not allowed from abroad.
The week before: If you need accommodations such as extra time or breaks, request them in your GED.com account before you schedule. Most requests take about 30 days.
The week before: Practice with the tools you will have: the on-screen calculator, the calculator reference sheet and, for math, the formula sheet.
The week before: Practice doing math scratch work on screen. Online, you cannot use paper or a handheld calculator.
What to bring: A non-expired, government-issued photo ID that shows your name, date of birth, signature and photo, such as a passport, driver’s license, learner’s permit or state ID card.
What to bring: Military IDs are not accepted online. If you are under 18, you may use a valid student ID, and a parent or guardian with valid ID must be with you at check-in.
What to bring: A computer with a webcam and reliable internet, in a private room with walls and a door you can close.
What to bring: A clear glass of water if you want a drink. It is the only drink allowed.
What you are given: An on-screen scratch pad and whiteboard for notes and math. No paper or physical notes.
What you are given: An on-screen calculator (Math Part 2, Science and Social Studies) and the calculator reference sheet.
What you are given: The math reference sheet as an on-screen drop-down. You do not have to memorize formulas.
What you are given: Screen settings anyone can use: change the colors, change the text size and highlight text.
Arrival and check-in: Log in to GED.com 30 minutes early. Check-in takes a photo of you, photos of your ID and photos of your workspace.
Arrival and check-in: Clear your desk. Phones, watches and headphones go out of reach, and no one else may be in the room.
During the test: Stay in webcam view the whole time. No talking or mumbling, no touchscreen, and do not move the webcam.
During the test: Answer every question. GED Testing Service makes no score deductions for incorrect answers.
During the test: Use the timer in the upper right corner and your pacing checkpoints. Flag slow questions and come back.
Breaks: Math has a 3-minute break between Part 1 (no calculator) and Part 2. RLA has a 10-minute break between Parts 2 and 3. Science and Social Studies have no break.
Breaks: Online appointments have no scheduled break between tests. Book subjects as separate appointments if you want a rest.
Online vs test center
Where you test. Test center: An official GED test center. Online: A private room at home or elsewhere in the United States, watched by an online proctor.
Before you can book. Test center: Your state’s rules apply. Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Kentucky and West Virginia also ask for a GED Ready score before a test-center booking. Online: A green GED Ready score for that subject within the last 60 days, plus your state’s rules.
What you need. Test center: Your photo ID. A TI-30XS MultiView calculator is optional. Online: Your photo ID, a computer with webcam and reliable internet, and a walled room with a closed door.
Scratch work. Test center: Three erasable note boards and a marker. Online: On-screen scratch pad and whiteboard only. No paper.
Calculator. Test center: On-screen calculator, or your own TI-30XS MultiView. Online: On-screen calculator only.
Check-in. Test center: At least 15 minutes early. Online: Log in 30 minutes early. Photos of you, your ID and your workspace.
Breaks between tests. Test center: 10 minutes after each test in a multi-test appointment. Online: None. Book subjects separately if you want a rest.
Food and drink. Test center: None in the testing room. Online: A clear glass of water only.
Retakes. Test center: Two retakes with no wait, then a 60-day wait. Online: One retake with no wait, then a 60-day wait.
Discounted retakes. Test center: Yes, at US test centers. GED Testing Service waives its fee. Online: No discount.
Changing your appointment. Test center: Free at least 24 hours ahead. Online: Any time before the appointment.
Accommodations. Test center: Available once approved. Online: Available once approved.
Where it is offered. Test center: 49 of 51 jurisdictions in our dataset. Online: 43 of 51 jurisdictions (10 with limits).
Can I take my GED online at home?
As of October 26, 2026, our state dataset shows online testing in 43 of 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC), 10 of them with limits. Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, New York, West Virginia and Wyoming are test center only, and Iowa and Maine do not offer the GED test.
Confirm your state’s rules and price on GED.com before you book.
A green (“Likely to Pass”) GED Ready score in that subject within the last 60 days.
A computer with a webcam and reliable internet that passes the official system test.
A private room with walls and a door you can close, with no one else in it.
A non-expired, government-issued photo ID (not a military ID).
You must be physically in the United States while you test.
Your state must offer online testing, and you must meet its age rules.
Pacing checkpoints (a study aid, not an official rule)
Mathematical Reasoning: about 110 minutes of question time; halfway point at about minute 55.
Reasoning Through Language Arts: about 92 minutes of question time plus 45 minutes for the essay; halfway point at about minute 46.
Science: about 88 minutes of question time; halfway point at about minute 44.
Social Studies: about 68 minutes of question time; halfway point at about minute 34.
Testing accommodations
Ask before you schedule. Accommodations are requested in your GED.com account before you book a test.
They are decided case by case under the ADA Amendments Act and can include extra testing time or extra breaks.
Your request needs medical documentation or evaluations. GED.com has guidelines for learning and cognitive disorders, ADHD, psychological conditions, and physical disabilities or chronic health conditions.
Most requests are processed within about 30 days. Complex or incomplete ones can take longer, so start early.
Approvals are generally valid for two years, and you can appeal a decision with more documentation.
Approved accommodations can be used at a test center or online. Changes to accommodated appointments go through the GED Testing Service accommodations coordinator.
A calm test-day routine
In the weeks before: practice, and protect your sleep (Research: moderate support). Short practice tests are one of the best-supported ways to learn, and a review of 24 studies found they also tended to lower test anxiety. Steady sleep over the weeks before a test was linked to better grades in one study of college students, while sleep on the single night before was not. So one restless night does not ruin your chances.
Right before you start: reframe the racing heart (Research: moderate support). Read this to yourself: “My heart is racing because my body is getting ready to focus. This energy helps me think. I am excited to show what I know.” Studies of reframing stress like this found a small average benefit on math and written tests. It is not a guarantee, but it costs nothing.
If you blank on a question: flag it and move on (Test-taking strategy). Answer the questions you can, flag the slow ones and come back. Read the question before the passage on reading-heavy items. In GED forums, many people who passed describe a routine like this.
Check your pace, not your feelings (Test-taking strategy). Use your pacing checkpoints. If you are behind, speed up a little and keep going. Feeling unsure is normal and does not mean you are failing.
Answer every question (Official GED rule). GED Testing Service makes no score deductions for incorrect answers, so a blank never helps you. Leave a few minutes at the end to fill in anything you skipped.
A few slow breaths, if they help you (Optional comfort: weak evidence). Some people like to breathe out slowly a few times before they begin. Studies on its effect on scores are mixed and small, so use it for comfort, not as a score booster.
If you are late, need to reschedule or lose your connection
Test center: arriving more than 15 minutes late can mean no admission and a lost fee.
Test center appointments can be rescheduled or cancelled for free at least 24 hours ahead. Online appointments can be changed any time before the appointment time.
Missing an appointment without changing it in time is a no-show, and the test fee is forfeited.
Online: run the system test days ahead. If it fails at test time, you cannot test and you lose your payment. We did not find a published GED rule for mid-test disconnections, so contact GED.com support right away if it happens.
Questions and answers
What do I need to bring to the GED test? Bring a non-expired, government-issued photo ID that shows your name, date of birth, signature and photo. At a test center you may also bring your own TI-30XS MultiView calculator; everything else stays outside the testing room. Online, you need a computer with a webcam, reliable internet and a private room with a door.
Can I take my GED test online at home? In most states, yes. You need a green GED Ready score in that subject within the last 60 days, a computer with webcam and reliable internet, a private room with a closed door and a government photo ID, and you must be in the United States. As of October 26, 2026, our state dataset shows online testing in 43 of 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC), 10 of them with limits. Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, New York, West Virginia and Wyoming are test center only, and Iowa and Maine do not offer the GED test.
Is it better to take the GED online or at a test center? Choose the setting where you focus best. A test center gives you three erasable note boards and lets you bring a TI-30XS calculator. Online saves travel but has strict room rules and on-screen scratch work only. In GED forums, some test takers say they chose a test center for math because of the online scratch-work rules.
Can I bring my own calculator to the GED test? At a test center, yes: you may bring a handheld TI-30XS MultiView for Math Part 2, Science and Social Studies. It stays in storage during Math Part 1, which has no calculator. Online, you cannot use a physical calculator; you use the on-screen one.
How early should I arrive for the GED test? Check in at a test center at least 15 minutes before your appointment. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, you may not be admitted and could lose your test fee. For an online test, log in to GED.com 30 minutes early to complete check-in.
Can I take all 4 GED tests in one day? Yes. You can schedule one test at a time or up to all four at once. The four tests add up to 425 minutes (7 hr 5 min) of testing. At a test center you get a 10-minute break after each test. Online there is no scheduled break, and GED.com notes that online tests are scheduled separately, so you can rest between appointments.
Can I get extra time on the GED test? Possibly. Accommodations such as extra time or extra breaks are approved case by case under the ADA Amendments Act. Request them in your GED.com account with medical documentation before you schedule. Most requests take about 30 days.
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