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What Should You Know About The HiSET Practice Test?

Taking the HiSET exam is something you should think about doing if you don’t have a diploma from high school. Find out more information about the HiSET and the skills it assesses. This article discusses everything about the HiSET practice test, registering for the HiSET, and scoring your results.

What is HiSET?

HiSET stands for the High School Equivalency Test. In the United States, it may serve as a replacement for a high school diploma, in addition to the GED and TASC examinations. The OCTAE Adult Education College and Career Readiness Standards were used in the development of the examination. It is controlled by ETS, and its delivery is accomplished in partnership with the competent authorities in each state and territory.

High school dropouts and those living in the United States and its territories who did not complete their high school education may get their high school equivalency (HSE) certification by passing the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET). Candidates are required to demonstrate that they are capable of the same tasks and have the same level of knowledge as a high school graduate. 

Candidates who get a passing grade on the high school equivalency exam will receive either a high school equivalency certificate or a high school equivalency diploma from the state or other governing body where they took the exam.

What’s on the HiSET Test?

You may be able to get a high school equivalency diploma from your state by passing the High School Equivalency Test (or HISET for short), which is an excellent alternative to the General Educational Development (GED) test.

If you want to prove that you have the intellectual knowledge and skills of someone who has graduated from high school, you need to take and pass the HiSET exam. The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards for Adult Education were first introduced in April 2013 by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), and since then, the HiSET exam has been linked to these standards. 

Employers and colleges that have been approved by the HiSET are among those that recognize diplomas and certificates earned via this program. Due to the fact that it evaluates essential aspects of both the CCR Standards for Adult Education and the Common Core State Standards, the HiSET may also help you determine the extent to which you are prepared for a profession or college studies. 

A score of 15 on each of the subtests indicates that the student is equipped for college as well as the workforce.

Section	Time	Format	Description
Language Arts – Reading	65 minutes – (English) 80 minutes – (Spanish)	Multiple-choice questions	– Your ability to interpret, evaluate, and analyze a range of literary and nonfiction materials will be evaluated in this section of the test. The selected texts range in length from around 400 to 600 words.
Language Arts – Writing	120 minutes	Multiple-choice questions and an essay prompt	– Your ability to comprehend and communicate in American English will be evaluated in this section. – Your ability to modify and rewrite written language will be evaluated by the questions in the component of the test that consists of multiple choice answers. – The essay evaluates your writing talents, namely how well you can generate and organize ideas in writing.
Mathematics	90 minutes	Multiple-choice questions	– This part assesses your mathematics abilities and knowledge. – Numerical operations, measurement, estimate, data interpretation, and logical reasoning are used to address questions given as practical problems. – Some questions are designed to assess abstract topics like algebraic patterns and probability. – This section allows you to utilize a calculator.
Science	80 minutes	Multiple-choice questions	– In this section, you will be tested on your ability to put your prior knowledge of science topics to use, apply the principles of scientific investigation, and analyze and evaluate scientific facts. – Graphs, tables, and charts are used in the presentation of the information and the results.
Social Studies	70 minutes	Multiple-choice questions	– Your ability to analyze and evaluate material from a broad variety of fields, such as history, political science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, geography, and economics, will be evaluated in this section of the test. – Reading passages, primary documents, posters, cartoons, timelines, maps, graphs, tables, and charts are all types of content that are included in the questions.

 

There are a significant number of test-takers who are successful without any further preparation. Students in the Bay Area who are enrolled in one of the several HiSET or GED preparation courses may take a practice version of the exam if they are dubious about their abilities to successfully complete the real thing. Participants who are interested in taking the HiSET or GED may attend one of the City College locations that provide free preparation classes.

Both English and Spanish may now be chosen as language options for the HiSET exam. Adjustments and special accommodations may be provided for students who are cognitively or physically challenged if the necessary preparations are made in advance with the Educational Testing Service.

HiSET Customer Service Number

If you want help with your HiSET account, please contact the HiSET Customer Service team by calling: Number to call free of charge: 1-855-MyHiSET; (1-855-694-4738). You may identify yourself in a few different ways: you can use your test-taker ID, your appointment number, or your order number. These are the several ways that your identity can be verified.

HiSET Test Requirements

HiSET exam requirements vary depending on the laws of each state. Different states have different requirements for their candidates. Some states have relatively strict requirements (e.g. California), while some states have relatively simple requirements (e.g. Tennessee). Below is an example of the requirements for California’s HiSET candidates. To take the HiSET exam in this state, testers must complete the following requirements:

It is essential to be a California resident or a military member deployed to duty in California to take the HiSET exam and complete the following qualifying criteria:

Age

The following prerequisites must be satisfied in order to sit for the HiSET exam in California:

• It is essential that you be at least eighteen years old, or within sixty days of your eighth birthday (regardless of school attendance status).
• It is necessary that you have graduated from high school within 60 days of your planned graduation date. (May or may not be enrolled in school at the time of this writing).
• At least 60 consecutive days must have passed since you were last in school to be eligible. A formal letter from the military, an educational institution, or possible employment is also necessary.
• 17 years of age, fewer than 100 high school credits, jailed in a state or county correctional institution.

Residency

If you are considered a “Resident of this State,” you’re a person who fits the qualifications listed in California’s Government Code section 244 and has your residence there, as defined by Title 5, Section 11530 of the state’s code of regulations.

Test Preparation or Instruction

You are not obliged to attend HiSET preparation classes before the process of officially  taking the HiSET exam.

Practice Test

You are not obliged to attend the HiSET practice test before the process of officially  taking the HiSET exam.

Identification

Before being given admission into the testing room, all test takers must produce acceptable photo identification as verification of their identity and age. 

Driver’s license or identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, a military ID, an ID issued by the US or a foreign government, a passport issued by the US or foreign government, a tribal ID card, or an ID card issued by a postsecondary school are examples of acceptable forms of identification. Name, date of birth, signature, photo, and address are all necessary for identification.

How Many Questions Can You Miss on the HiSET Test?

Unfortunately, there is no way to predict this. There are many different iterations of each subtest, and each one has its own set of questions. There is a possibility that the questions on one form will be considerably more difficult (or easier) than those on another form. The raw data are then converted into scale scores, which account for differences in difficulty between forms in order to ensure that all forms for each subtest are comparable. 

On the HiSET exam, there is no way to find out which form you will be given as well as how many questions you can miss on the HiSET test.

What is on the HiSET Science Test?

Each question in HiSET Science is a multiple-choice option. For the total of 50 tasks, you get 80 minutes to complete each one.

There are three sections to the test’s knowledge areas. It is divided into three sections: Earth, Physical, and Life Sciences. You will need to draw on a wide range of skills and knowledge to answer some of the more difficult questions. 

A detailed description of each group and the talents you’ll be tested on will be provided below, so you may better prepare for the exam. Additionally, our HiSET Science study guide includes additional in-depth explanations and examples of the subjects.

Earth Sciences

The Earth Science section of the HiSET tests your knowledge of things like geology and astronomy, among other things. Many topics are covered in this section, including questions about the solar system and its numerous components, the elements that makeup Earth and their distinctive properties, Earth’s location within the solar system, how it travels within it, and how the Earth functions geologically in different ways.

Physical Science

Physical Science deals with the properties and behavior of matter as a result of Earth’s gravitational influence. Among other things, you’ll be assessed on your knowledge of chemical reactions, as well as your ability to discern the differences in temperature, size, color, form, and weight; how magnetism, light, electricity, and heat all function; and how objects move and rest. Physics and chemistry at their most elementary levels are included in this category.

Life Science

The ‘Life Science’ section of the curriculum covers subjects like biology and anatomy. For example, you’ll have to show that you understand how organisms depend on one another for survival in their given environments through various complex, intertwined relationships, as well as your understanding of how animals and other organisms live, function, and survive. 

You’ll also have to show that you understand how different components of a living system are made and how this contributes to their specific functions.

How About HiSET Scores?

Multiple-choice Test Scoring

Answer sheets with numerous choices may be automatically scored by machines, which leads to almost flawless scoring accuracy.

• You will get one raw point for every correct answer you provide.
• The overall raw score is determined by the total number of questions that were answered correctly during the whole examination.
• The scaled score is determined by first calculating the total number of raw points, and then modifying those raw points for the degree of difficulty of the tasks.

Essay Test Scoring

Human scorers, who are trained, monitored, and required to adhere to severe scoring rules, are the ones that evaluate the essay response. Written answers are evaluated and scored by scorers who have received specialized training to evaluate and assess responses to that specific question. 

The Writing Response Scoring Guide provides further details on the grading system that is used for essays as well as an explanation of what each score indicates.

Passing Score

Every state has its unique set of requirements to pass the exam. Check the requirements listed under “Requirements by State or Jurisdiction” to find out what must be done to pass in each state. Since the majority of states employ the HiSET® passing criteria, this means that in order to pass the HiSET exam, you need to fulfill all of the following requirements:

• A scaled score of at least an 8 is required to pass each of the five subtests.
• You need to get at least a score of two out of six on the essay 
• You need to get at least 45 out of 100 on the overall scaled score across all five HiSET subtests.

According to a survey that was conducted throughout the United States with juniors and seniors in high schools, sixty percent of high school graduates would be able to pass the HiSET exam. The individual’s performance on a test determines whether or not they passed the exam.

What is a Scaled Score?

On the majority of tests given in school, we are provided with either a % or a raw score. This represents the ratio of the number of questions answered correctly to the total number of questions answered incorrectly. This method of scoring works well when there is just one version of an exam to score.

Nevertheless, the HiSET exam is available in a wide variety of configurations, often known as “forms.” Therefore, we cannot simply compare the number of questions answered correctly with the number of questions answered incorrectly since the test that one person took may have been slightly simpler or more difficult than the exam that the person sitting next to them was given. To ensure that everyone is treated fairly, we use something called a “scaled score.”

A scoring method that enables you to compare results from different iterations of the HiSET test is referred to as a scaled score. We get it via the statistical process of changing and translating raw values into a common scale. 

This shows that a test taker must answer slightly more questions correctly on the easier version of the exam in order to get the same scaled score as they would on the more difficult version. They may be able to get the same scaled score even if they successfully answered slightly fewer questions on a more difficult version.

A passing score of eight does not mean that the test taker answered all eight questions correctly; rather, it implies that taking into consideration the difficulty of the test form, the test taker scored an eight on a scale that ranges from one to twenty. 

It also shows that you would probably achieve the same result even if you took a different version of the test without preparing for it. It is not difficult to ensure that tests are fair by using a scaled score.

Understanding Scores

• HiSET scores are given on a scale of 1–20 with 1-point increments.
• To pass the HiSET exam, ETS has established a nationwide passing score of 8 for each of the five subtests and a cumulative score of 45. Note that each state determines its own passing score.
• Passing the test requires a minimum score of 2 on the Language Arts – Writing essay.
• Except for the Language Arts – Writing essay, the HiSET exam has a College and Career Readiness (CCR) minimum scaled score of 15 for each subtest. The Language Arts – Writing essay has a CCR score of 4.

College and Career Readiness Score

If the test taker’s performance is equivalent to the least level required to succeed in college-level credit-bearing courses, the college- and career-ready indicator will show on the Individual TestReports. This indicates that the test taker is prepared for both college and a future profession.

A test taker is considered to be prepared for college and a profession if they get at least a 15 on any of the subtests and a 4 on the essay portion of the exam. Your college and career readiness score indicates that you scored in the 75th percentile of high school seniors graduating that year and that you should be qualified to enroll in credit-bearing university courses based on the results of this test.

Can You Go to College with a HiSET Diploma?

When it comes time to choose a college and a degree, your HiSET results might be a helpful guide. A score of at least 15 out of 20 on each of your subtests is required for you to be regarded as prepared for college and a profession after high school. It indicates that the quality of your performance is comparable to that which is required to get a passing mark in a course at the college level.

If you have a score that is lower than 15, it does not always mean that you should not go to college. If you feel as if you did not do as well as you had hoped in certain subject areas, you may want to consider conducting additional preparation or enrolling in remedial programs.

Can You Take the HiSET Test Online at Home?

Students who are unable to take the HiSET® exam at a test center owing to concerns about public health have an option that is both safe and convenient: they may take the exam at home. The following are examples of the subtests:

• Tests conducted online are identical to those taken in testing centers in terms of the topics covered, the formats used, and the experience provided on the screen.
• Proctored by a real person online via ProctorU® while you take the exam on your own computer, either at home or at another safe place of your choosing.
• Available seven days a week from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time

If you meet the state requirements for the HiSET and are at least 18 years old, you have the option of taking the exam in the comfort of your own home. If you are 16 or 17, you have to fill out an application and get your state’s permission before you may vote. Get in touch with your state’s department of education to find out whether or not the option of taking the exam at home is available to students under the age of 18.

Before You Start

• Review the Equipment and Environment Requirements. If you haven’t already done so, and if your computer and testing location don’t satisfy these standards, you won’t be permitted to take the exam.
• Investigate the requirements set out by both your state and the HiSET for residents.
• Make sure your picture identification (ID) documents are ready. Please go to the ID Requirements page for a list of acceptable forms of identification.
• If you don’t already have one, you should sign up for a HiSET account. Make sure the name on your primary ID and the name on your online account are the same.
• Choose the section of the exam for which you wish to register. You have the option of signing up for any or all of them.
• Before you may register for the test, you are required to submit a request for any adjustments you might need owing to a disability or a medical condition.

How to Register for an Online Test?

Follow these steps to set up an appointment to be seen in the comfort of your own home:

• You may get access to your account by signing in.
• Choose the option to Register for a HiSET Exam from the homepage of your HiSET account.
• On the screen where you schedule your tests, choose the option to Take the Exam at Home.
• Choose which of the test subsections you wish to register for.
• Choose a day and time for each individual subtest.
• Please follow these directions to successfully finish your registration and make payment for your subtests.
• After you’ve completed everything, an email with information about your test order will be sent to you for confirmation.

In the event that you need to schedule your in-home exam, the deadline to do so is the day before your scheduled appointment at 11:59 p.m. local time. You may make adjustments to your schedule by logging into your HiSET account.

Canceling your at-home appointment for the HiSET subtest prior to the previous day at 11:59 p.m. local time is required in order to get a full refund of the fee associated with taking the subtest. It is essential to keep in mind that state fees are not subject to a return policy. You will find the option to cancel your membership inside your HiSET account.

What Does the Cost of HiSET Test Include?

The cost of the HiSET exam varies by state or jurisdiction.  The normal charge for examinations that are supplied through a computer is $10.75, whereas the fee for exams that are given by paper is $15. On the other hand, there is the possibility of additional costs associated with the test center and administration. If you need any further information, please contact ETS Customer Service at 1-855-MyHiSET or log in to your HiSET account (1-855-694-4738).

Difference Between HiSET and GED

The General Educational Development (GED) and High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) are two standardized examinations that a lot of people take in order to improve their chances of getting a better job or getting into college. 

If you want to work but do not have a high school diploma, you may demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skills necessary for the job by passing a test known as the GED or the HiSet. However, what sets the GED apart from the HiSET is its emphasis on higher-level thinking.

Costs

The Educational Testing Service, which is in charge of coordinating and delivering the HiSET, levies a variety of costs among the states. In the state of Maine, for example, residents do not have to pay anything to take the exam, whereas in the state of North Carolina, they must pay $10.75 for paper-based subtests and $15 for computer-based subtests. In Illinois and Pennsylvania, the cost of taking a subtest using a computer is $18.75, whereas the cost of taking a subtest using paper is $23.

The costs of providing a GED Testing Service differ from one site to the next. The identical service may be obtained in certain jurisdictions for as low as $4, while in others it can cost as much as $38. Some states charge less than others.

Passing Scores

The minimum score required to pass the HiSET examination varies from state to state. On each of the subtests, you need to get a score of at least 8 out of 10. You also need to have a score that is at least 45 out of a potential 100 points. The minimum passing score for the essay portion of the writing test is two points.

In order to pass the GED, you need a score of at least 145 on each of the subtests. In order to get a certificate stating that you are College Ready, you need to earn a score of at least 165 on the exam. To be able to walk away from high school with the College Ready + Credit distinction, you need to earn at least 175 points out of a possible 200.

Retake Policies

Participants in the HiSET test are only allowed three attempts within a given calendar year. Students are permitted to take the GED exam as many times as they deem necessary during the academic year. 

The cost of retaking a test is discounted for the first two times that it is taken again. Several states do not need a waiting period between the first two times a test is taken again. In the event that you need to retake the examination, you may be obliged to wait sixty days and pay the full price of the test.

Which Is Harder?

Both the HiSET and the GED are standardized tests that measure students’ proficiency in areas such as language arts, mathematics, and social studies. The GED consists of four exams, whereas the HiSET has five different sections to choose from (one for each of reading and writing). The General Educational Development (GED) exam evaluates a student’s reading and writing skills simultaneously. It is possible that the format of either the GED or the HiSET test will help you determine which one is best for you.

• Social Studies

The HiSET’s social studies test lasts for a total of seventy minutes and covers both history and political science. Questions based on a multiple-choice format may also be found in the following subject areas: economics, sociology, and psychology.

The social studies portion of the GED test may be completed in a total of one hour and ten minutes. GED students are evaluated on their knowledge of civic and political institutions as part of the social studies exam. Students will be assessed on a variety of other topics as well, including the history and geography of the United States.

• Science

The HiSET is designed to evaluate a candidate’s understanding of scientific concepts as well as their capacity to apply scientific principles to the solution of real-world situations. Participants are also evaluated based on their level of knowledge in a variety of scientific subfields. This test can be finished in around a hundred and twenty minutes.

The duration of the GED science test is one hour and ten minutes. The capacity of individuals to comprehend scientific experiments and data is evaluated by testing. The areas of study also include the physical, life, and earth sciences.

• Mathematics

During the mathematics portion of the HiSET test, which lasts for a total of 90 minutes, multiple-choice questions will be included. Students are expected to be proficient in a variety of abilities, including problem-solving in the areas of measurement, estimation, arithmetic, and algebra. Another need is the capability of comprehending data.

The arithmetic portion of the GED test is allocated 115 minutes to complete. Geometry and functions, in addition to quantitative and algebraic problem-solving, are some of the topics that are addressed in this course.

• Language Arts

The multiple-choice questions on the Reading portion of the HiSET test are designed to evaluate a test taker’s capacity to grasp information that is presented in written format. A candidate’s ability to proofread and produce an essay that makes sense is evaluated during the HiSET Writing test, which lasts for one hundred twenty minutes. On the examination, there are both multiple-choice questions and essay questions mixed together.

The GED Reasoning Through Language Arts examination includes an essay question that students have 45 minutes to complete. On this particular test, participants’ reading and writing skills are scrutinized in equal measure. Participants in the examination are evaluated based on how well they are able to improve their own writing by engaging in supplemental exercises.

What is the Difference Between GED HiSET and TASC?

The American Council on Education, which was responsible for developing the exam, worked with Pearson VUE in 2011 to revise and update the exam in order to meet the requirements of the present environment, which included making it compatible with the Common Core State Standards. 

The granting of certification for high school equivalency is the responsibility of individual states and jurisdictions, and these entities are free to seek different possibilities. As a result of the introduction of the GED and the HiSET program, two competitors to the HiSET test, a number of states chose to accept one or more of the three options available to fulfill their needs.

GED Test

The new GED test includes the following topic areas: reasoning in language arts and mathematics, reasoning in science and social studies, and reasoning in social studies. The test allows you two free or heavily discounted retakes, depending on the state in which you live. 

Because all of the tests are done online, the results are available to be seen within three hours of the test’s conclusion, and the number of question items has been increased to incorporate more interactive approaches such as drag-and-drop. 

The amount of time spent writing responses has increased significantly; there are still two long answer questions, one in language arts and one in social studies, and a short answer question has been added to the science section. Testing is carried out at facilities that have been granted approval by the state.

TASC Test

The TASC, which stands for Test Assessing Secondary Completion, may be taken in either an online or print format. Participants in the examination might, in theory, take the examination in any location so long as they complied with the regulations of their home state. Because the TASC exam covers the same themes as the old GED test from 2002, test takers are able to combine their results from previous GED examinations with the TASC, and the exam cost includes two free retakes. 

Additionally, the TASC exam is shorter than the GED exam. The exam will progressively cover Common Core themes over the course of the next three years; this will help improve its compatibility with the GED examination that is now in use. If the online option is selected, the report of the scores will be generated immediately. The written exam’s results will be made accessible in ten days’ time.

HiSET Test

The former GED exam from 2002 and the TASC are both included into the High School Equivalency Test, generally known as the HiSET. This test offers two free retakes and evaluates all five academic areas. It’s also available to take on paper or online, but individual states get to decide how they wish to administer the exam. 

The way in which the TASC and the HiSET deal with the introduction of Common Core is the only major variation between the two exams. Now that the new standards have been included into the HiSET exam, a second phase will be implemented with the goal of improving the test’s compatibility with educational programs after those programs have also been updated to reflect the new needs.

Which is Harder?

In a comparison of the 3 high school equivalency tests, the HiSET program is the one that is most similar to the GED (2002)  in terms of both its organizational structure and its content . The questions are elementary and are formatted in a manner that is comparable to the conventional GED; they consist of brief reading passages and open-ended essay assignments. 

As with the new GED (2014) and the TASC, the HiSET is based on the Common Core State Standards, and in order to perform well on the exam, test takers need to have previous knowledge of the topics covered.

Although the HiSET is comparable to the previous version of the General Educational Development (GED) test, this does not mean that it is easier to pass than other high school equivalency exams. 

Students who are successful on the HiSET, along with students who are successful on other high school equivalency tests, are able to demonstrate that they have intellectual talents that are equivalent to those of the top sixty percent of students who have just graduated from high school.

How to Get Your HiSET Transcript?

HiSET Transcripts may only be obtained by contacting Diploma Sender, a company that has entered into an agreement with Massachusetts to provide educational documents. After August 18, 2014, neither Greenfield Community College nor any other HiSET testing facility in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will longer be able to provide transcripts.

If you obtained your HiSET credential prior to the 18th of August, 2014, you are eligible to place an order with Diploma Sender for duplicate copies of your High School Equivalency (HSE) papers. The cost of each HSE document for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is $15.

Contact Diploma Sender to get your free initial and original papers if you earned your High School Equivalency Credential after August 18, 2014. There will be a charge of $15 for each additional copy ordered.

Please be aware that you may have to wait between 2 and 15 days for the delivery of your papers.

Above is all the related information about the HiSET practice test. Hope it will be beneficial for you in the path of acing this test.