Nationwide changes are coming in 2014 for General Educational Development exams and how they are administered. Barton Community College’s Center for Adult Education will soon be starting its 9-week GED Preparation Class.
A week-long orientation session, which is a prerequisite for the course, will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 6-10 at 1025 Main St. in Great Bend. Those interested can call ahead or arrive on the first day of orientation Monday. Regular coursework begins Jan. 13.
Chris Lemon, coordinator of Adult Education at BCC, said 107 people earned GEDs through the program last year. They will be invited to be part of BCC’s commencement program in May.
“One of the reasons we’d like to see GED graduates with college graduates in to encourage them to continue their education,” Lemon said. “It is a big milestone and something many of them thought they’ve never do, but we don’t want them to stop.” In fact, the college offers scholarships to those who complete their GEDs.
Those taking the GED Preparation Class pay a one-time $50 fee for materials. Once students have completed the preparation courses, they will be able to take the official GED test. The cost to take the GED test is $120.
Individuals may take the GED exam without any preparation instruction for $120, but Lemon doesn’t usually advise that. He notes that it takes about four years of high school to earn a diploma, and once an adult begin work on a GED is takes, on average, 18-24 weeks to complete the process.
For more information or to sign up for these free classes, contact Barton’s coordinator of Adult Education at lemonc@bartonccc.edu or (620) 786-7563.

Changes for 2014
Lemon said the tests are revised every decade and the so-called 2002 Series GED tests are set to expire at the end of the year. The Center for Adult Education has been conducting tests this month in an attempt to help people finish before the new tests come out on Jan. 2.
The current GED test has five parts. They can be taken at different times, but each part must be passed to earn a GED certificate – which is the equivalent to a high school diploma in Kansas. The next series will have only four parts, but will be more difficult overall. Instead of a writing test, each of the other tests will require some writing. There’s also less multiple choice.