HiSET

The HiSET is a high school equivalency exam offered by PSI Services LLC in the states and jurisdictions that have adopted it. It measures whether you have the knowledge and skills of a high school graduate in five subject areas. When you pass all five subtests, the state or jurisdiction where you test awards a high school equivalency credential, which is accepted for college admission, job training, military enlistment, and employment in the same way as a high school diploma.

The Five Subtests

Each subtest is timed and scored separately, and you can take them one at a time, in any order, on different days. Most questions are multiple-choice with a single correct answer; the Language Arts – Writing subtest also requires one essay.

Questions,Timelimits,Andcontentcategories

Subtest	Questions	Time	ContentCategories(approximateshareofthetest)
Language Arts Reading –	50 multiple-choice	65minutes	LiteraryTexts(40%) ·InformationalTexts(60%)
Language Arts Writing –	60 multiple-choice	120minutes	OrganizationofIdeas(22%) ·LanguageFacility(43%) ·
	+1essay		WritingConventions(35%)
Mathematics	55 multiple-choice	90minutes	NumbersandOperationsonNumbers(19%) ·
			Measurement/Geometry(18%) ·Data
			Analysis/Probability/Statistics(18%) ·AlgebraicConcepts
			(45%)
Science	60 multiple-choice	80minutes	LifeScience(49%) ·PhysicalScience(28%) ·EarthScience
			(23%)
SocialStudies	60 multiple-choice	70minutes	History(35%) ·Civics/Government(35%) ·Economics(20%)
			·Geography(10%)

Reading, Science, and Social Studies questions are built around passages, graphs, tables, maps, diagrams, and experiment descriptions, so the test rewards reading and reasoning with information as much as recalling facts. The Spanish-language Reading subtest allows 80 minutes. In Mathematics you may use a calculator, subject to the policy of the state where you test.

Scoring and Passing Requirements

Each of the five subtests is scored on a scale of 1 to 20. The essay is scored separately on a scale of 1 to 6 and contributes to your Language Arts – Writing score. To pass the full battery and earn your credential, you must meet all three requirements below; a very high score on one subtest cannot make up for missing a minimum on another.

+ +

on each of the five subtests

on the essay

across all five subtests

Five scores of 8 add up to only 40, so passing each subtest at the minimum is not enough. Aim for a 9 or higher on each subtest, or build extra points in your strongest subjects, so that your total reaches 45.

TestFormat	Multiple-Choice Subtests	Essay
Computer-based	Unofficialscoreshownattheendofthetest;officialscoreinabout3	About5businessdays
	businessdays
Paper-based	About3to5businessdays	About6to10business
		days

Test Formats and Delivery

The HiSET is available in English and Spanish. If you take all five subtests in one day, testing can take up to about 7.5 hours, so most test takers spread the subtests over several sessions. Accommodations such as extended time, a separate room, large print, or a scribe are available with approval; request them before you schedule.

Eligibility, Fees, and Retakes

Each state sets its own requirements

Test fees vary by state and test site

In most states, a subtest purchase

for age, residency, and school

because many states add their own

includes up to two free retakes within

enrollment, and some require an

fees or subsidize the cost. Your state's

12 months of the original purchase.

orientation or a readiness test first.

HiSET page lists the current price per

Wait at least 24 hours after an

Check your state's HiSET policy before

subtest.

unsuccessful attempt before

you register.

scheduling a retake.

Weight your study the way the test does. Algebraic concepts make up almost half of Mathematics, life science is about half of Science, and history and civics together are 70% of Social Studies. In Reading, informational texts outnumber literary texts, and in Writing, language facility and conventions carry most of the multiple-choice points.