SITKA, Alaska – Are you looking to finish your GED in the near future? The University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus reminds students that big changes are coming to the test series in 2014.

“If you’ve started your path toward obtaining your GED, or if you plan on earning your GED in the near future, now is the time to complete it,” said Audrey Beam, Testing and Learning Resources Coordinator at the UAS Sitka Campus Student Success Center. “After December 2013, GED testing will transition to a computer-based system and all of your work accomplished beforehand will expire.”

The GED is a five-part test series equivalent to a high school diploma. There are five separate tests – in reading, writing, math, social studies and science – and each test takes 1-2 hours to complete. Students need to score at least 410 points on each of the five tests, and have a total score of at least 2,250 points. You can take the GED if you are an adult age 18 or older, an adult not enrolled in high school, an adult who has not graduated from high school, or a student ages 16-17 who has parental consent. Most jobs, technical schools and colleges require people to have either a high school diploma or a GED.

The University of Alaska Southeast Sitka Campus offers free GED tutoring, e-Learning classes (TBA) and study materials at its Student Success Center. Students can register and take the pre-test, schedule tutoring as necessary, receive study materials and attend e-Learning classes in order to prepare for the GED. The actual test series costs $25, which includes all five tests and any necessary retests. The UAS Sitka Campus works in partnership with the Learning Connection program at SERRC-Alaska’s Educational Resource Center (which is the GED test administrator for the Southeast Alaska region). Sitka students can do all their preparation and take all their tests in Sitka, and the tests are scored by SERRC (www.serrc.org/ged).

To learn more about GED testing and preparation at the UAS Sitka Campus, contact the Student Success Center at 747-7717, call Francis Wegman-Lawless 747-7707, or call Audrey Beam at 747-7785. For more information and to register for UAS Sitka Campus programs, call 747-7700 or go online at www.uas.alaska.edu/sitka. Students must pass all five of their GED tests by Dec. 20, 2013, or else start over from scratch. There will be higher fees with the 2014 GED test series.