Getting a job is easy these days, but making a career out of something you love to do is much, much harder. If you’re looking for an opportunity to show off your stuff but are kept from doing so because of insufficient credentials, a GED exam may just push you that much farther in your career path. Here’s how you can take it within the state of Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma GED exam is subdivided into five aspects. The exam includes questions in Social Studies, Science, Math, and the Reading and Writing sections of the Language Arts. Although almost every question in the test is followed by a selection of answers (via multiple-choice format), there are two notable exceptions; the Language Arts in Writing section is normally an essay test which measures your composition proficiency, and Math also includes questions in alternative formats. There is a 7 1/2-hour time limit imposed on all test takers.

You need to meet the standard minimum of 410 points (accumulated) for each section in order to pass the GED, in addition to an exam average of 450 (for the entire test) – this is as prescribed the American Council of Education. You also need to get a total score of 2250; take note that you usually are not required to do a retest on the sections wherein you met the minimum requirement, but you do still need to meet the 2250-point requirement to get your GED certificate. These score standards are based on a 200-800 point scale; get in touch with your testing site regarding particular policies on GED examination retesting.

In matters of eligibility, your testing site should also be your first resource, as the particulars vary between sites all over the state. It’s best that you contact the site wherein you intend to register for the exam, or make a personal appearance and fulfill an application form; if there are further testing requirements, you have to meet these as well. You can also mail in your particulars, but personal submissions are highly recommended. You can get information about your testing site by calling the GED trunk line at 1-800-626-9433, the state’s GED OIC at 1-800-405-0355, or through the country’s literacy site at literacydirectory.org. Once you determine where you will take the test, inquire about test particulars, including registration fees.

There are two basic courses of action which you can take if you want to effectively prepare for your upcoming test: you can study on your own, or you can enroll in a prep class. Your personal learning pace and comfort, as well as your schedule, will usually guide you in your decision. If you want to go your own way with preparation, you can check out resources from your community library, or you can print study guides and trial tests from online websites. Similar materials are purchasable from your community library or from the internet. Prep courses on the other hand, will usually be provided by the testing center wherein you intend to take the exam, or from an adult learning center in your neighborhood.