Pa. to make GED test available only in computer format

Starting in January in Pennsylvania, the GED test will only be available in computer format, according to a release. It’s a change that’s affecting every state that offers GED testing, said Deana Gamble, spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy, an agency focused on improving the city’s adult literacy rate.

It’s not a cause for alarm, said Judith Renyi, executive director of the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy. The change is meant to benefit test takers, she said. Pearson VUE, who runs GED testing with the American Council on Education, found that GED test takers were getting through tests faster when they took them on a computer rather than on paper. GED test centers have been offering the tests in computer format since January 2012, Renyi said.

“The computer itself does not seem to be a huge barrier,” Renyi said, adding that she’s happy about this change because it helps push the her agency’s agenda: the fact that everyone needs digital literacy skills.

This move comes with a more major change: Pennsylvania will begin administering a new, tougher GED test.

“That’s the juggernaut,” Renyi said.

Those who have taken the current version of the GED test must finish it before the end of the year or will be forced to start all over again with the new test. Get more information here.