If you're interested in getting your GED in Lubbock, then look no further! This guide includes all the information you'll need to nab that GED credential in no time. From locations, studying, and how much the test costs, we'll break it all down in this handy little guide.
Getting your GED can lead to a huge change in your lifestyle. It opens career paths, makes you eligible to go to trade school or college, or helps you earn more money in your job. But how do you start on that path? What do you need to know? Where can you go for help in Lubbock, TX?
We’ve made a step-by-step guide to help you get started on your GED journey.
Step #1 - Visit GED.com.
GED.com is your central hub for the GED. It’s where you’ll go to schedule the test, get a pre-test, find resources, the whole enchilada. You’ll be visiting this website A LOT so when you sign-up, make sure you keep track of your email and password.
Also note, you CANNOT make multiple accounts. If you do, it’ll mess up your scoring. And then you’ll have to work with the GED.com customer service to get it untangled. Which can take a while. So we’ve found it better not to do so and to make/use only one account on your GED journey.
Step #2 - Choose which of the 4 subjects you'd like to start with.
The GED test is broken down into 4 subject tests:
Language Arts (which is reading & writing)
Math
Social Studies (history & government)
Science
You’ll have to pass each subject test to get your overall GED. Think of it like 4 pieces in a pie: you’ll need to eat all 4 pieces in order to get your GED. Each subject test ONLY focuses on that one subject. There isn’t an overall test with all 4 subjects in it that you can take: you have to pass each of these 4 tests in order to get your GED.
To pass each test, you’ll have to score 145 or higher. Each subject test in Texas costs $36.25, which is $145 total.
We recommend you start with your easiest subject first and then work through each of the 4 subjects, leaving your hardest one for last. Having 3 tests under your belt when you tackle that last test can help motivate you to do it: after all, by that point, you’re 75% of the way there! And we’ve also found that the Social Studies and the Science tests tend to be the ones where most people pass on the first try. Plus they’re the shortest, so there’s that too!
"I dropped out of school in the 7th grade. I had lots of doubts in myself, about if I could even do this. However, my hand was pushed into getting my GED. You can do this. Believe me, it opens so many doors, and how you feel about yourself afterward is worth it." – Rebecca D., GED Graduate
Step #3 - Begin studying!
Now that you’ve picked the subject you want to start with, you can get to studying! There are a handful of ways to do that. You can do it on your own with a study guide you can buy from Barnes & Noble or Amazon. You can sign up for classes and tutoring. You can take practice tests to get a feel for the questions on the test or how its structured (it’s only offered online, which can feel very different from a paper test). Maybe you’d like to make flash cards? Or answer practice questions?
There are so many different ways you can study! It all boils down to how YOU best study. Studies have shown that there are 3 main ways people learn: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
For visual learners, they process information by seeing things, like pictures, graphs, and can best remember things they write down.
For auditory learners, they process information by hearing things, like attending lectures and reading aloud.
For kinesthetic learners, they do best with a hands-on approach, such as doing demonstrations. For example, with kinesthetic learners learning about the bones in the human body, they’d do better having a fake skeleton in front of them, so they can touch the bones and see how they’re all connected.
There’s no one best way to study. It’s all about YOU. Find what works best for you, then use that reach your goals!
Step #4 - Schedule your test.
Once you feel ready to take the subject test, you’ll have to schedule it! Log back into your GED.com account. Up at the top of your GED.com dashboard, you’ll see a button about scheduling your test. Click on that, follow the prompts, and insert the information you’ll need.
There are a couple of things to note about scheduling your test. First up, Lubbock only has 1 GED testing site at the moment. We’re hoping that’ll change soon, but for right now, if you’re trying to schedule your test, it’ll be at the Dream Center.
However, there is an option to take it at home (GED.com started this during COVID). We’re not sure how long they’ll offer this option. And there are some requirements you’ll need to meet first, such as having a microphone and camera, and a relatively new computer to run it. You can check out those requirements at GED.com if you’d like! But with all the distractions that can pop up at home, we’d recommend going to a testing site instead.
Another thing to note is that you can only schedule one subject test at a time. You can’t try and schedule multiple subjects at once: you have to schedule each subject separately. By the time of me writing this, GED.com does have an option to schedule all of it, but it’s broken. It never works, from what we’ve seen.
Also, you’ll have to pay for your test at this time. It’s that $36.25 we talked about earlier. However, if you’ve already taken the test once, failed it, and need to schedule a re-make, they’ll offer you a discount.
Once you’ve selected the Dream Center as your choice, it’ll pop up with different time slots you can choose from. Pick the one that works best with your schedule, and during a time of day when you’ll be alert. If you aren’t used to waking up early, for example, don’t select an early test time. You’ve put in a lot of effort to reach this point, so don’t handicap yourself by picking a time that doesn’t work to your advantage!
After you’ve signed up for the test, GED.com will email you with important information afterward, such as what you’ll need. We recommend you read that email carefully. It’ll outline the cancellation policy, what happens if you can’t make your test, getting a refund, what you’ll need on test day.
Step #5 - Take that test!
Show up for your scheduled test. You’ve been studying hard, and now, it’s time to shine!
Step #6A - If you failed, study some more.
There’s no shame in failing! This test is HARD. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth it. And besides, studies have shown that people tend to do better on remakes of tests than on the first tries. So double-down on those books, reschedule your test, and crush it the next time!
Step #6B - If you passed, repeat for the other subjects.
If you’ve passed, congratulations! You’re 1/4 of the way there! See? You could do it!
You’ll pick your next subject, study for it, schedule the test, and then after you’ve passed that one, you keep going. By the end of it, you’ll have passed all 4 subject tests and you’ll have that GED!
Step #7 - Get your certificate (optional).
This isn’t required to get your GED, but if you’d like to get a paper certificate, the TEA can help you out. They’re the Texas Education Agency and they’ll mail you a diploma and a verification letter. You can click here to be taken to their website.
Important to note, the TEA might ask for your Candidate ID to process that. It’s your GED.com account number. If you log in to your GED.com account, then click on your account information, you should be able to find that number.
Step #8. - Celebrate!
What you just did was a HUGE accomplishment! This test isn’t easy, not by a long shot, and you just aced it! You deserve to celebrate in style, so do something special for yourself. You deserve it!
You can do it, and we can help.
Your GED journey might seem daunting, but you don't have to do it alone. If you need tutors, teachers, study materials, or just someone to motivate you to get it done, then consider signing up for our FREE GED program. We have flexible times, days, and locations to best accommodate you. Plus we offer GED Scholarships to help cover the cost of the test.