GED passing score: 145 in each subject, and what higher scores open
Enter your four scores, real or from GED Ready: the checker says which subjects pass, how many points are missing, and which reach the college levels.
Your GED result
1 to retake
Each subject needs 145; scores do not add up across subjects.
| Math | 150 · Pass |
| Language arts (RLA) | 146 · Pass |
| Science | 158 · Pass |
| Social studies | 140 · 5 points short |
Scale 100 to 200. 165 to 174 is College Ready; 175 to 200 is College Ready + Credit, worth up to 10 college credit hours depending on the college (ged.com).
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · fees and rules read on ged.com and hiset.org on October 22, 2026
The GED passing score is 145 on each of the four subjects, on a scale of 100 to 200. You earn your high school equivalency when all four reach 145; there is no overall average, so a 175 in language arts does nothing for a 140 in math. Above the pass mark, ged.com sets two more levels. From 165 to 174, GED College Ready: you have shown the skills to start college-level courses and may be exempt from placement tests or remedial, non-credit courses. From 175 to 200, GED College Ready + Credit: depending on the program, you may earn up to 3 credits in math, 3 in science, 3 in social studies and 1 in humanities, 10 credit hours in all. To use them, you send your transcript and score report to the college and check with its admissions office whether it accepts them. On the official GED Ready practice test the same scale gives three bands: 145 and up likely to pass, 134 to 144 too close to call, below 134 not likely. The checker above works for both.
The four levels on one scale
| Score | Level (ged.com) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 100 to 144 | Below passing | The subject must be retaken |
| 145 to 164 | GED Passing Score | Counts toward the high school equivalency |
| 165 to 174 | GED College Ready | May skip placement tests or remedial courses |
| 175 to 200 | GED College Ready + Credit | Up to 3 credits in math, 3 in science, 3 in social studies, 1 in humanities |
Two scores, one quick check
Your GED result
2 to retake
| Math | 143 · 2 points short |
| Language arts (RLA) | 152 · Pass |
| Science | 158 · Pass |
| Social studies | 140 · 5 points short |
Three sets of scores, read through
Maria: 151, 147, 160, 145. Every subject reaches 145: she has passed, and her science score is College Ready. James: 172, 168, 177, 143. Three strong subjects, one College Ready + Credit in science, but social studies is two points short, so he does not have the credential yet; one retake of social studies finishes it. Lena: 139, 150, 146, 152. Math is six points short; on GED Ready that would be the yellow band. A few weeks on the skills listed in her score report, then a retake, is the usual path. In each case, the checker above gives the same reading in a second, and shows the points still missing for each level.
Why there is no average
The GED is four separate tests. A state issues the credential only when each of them is passed, which is why a 175 in one subject and a 142 in another still means one subject to retake. That is different from the HiSET, where a minimum on each subtest is combined with a minimum total, so that one strong subtest does help.
If you are a few points short
Scores of 134 to 144 are the “too close to call” band on GED Ready, and on the real test they mean a retake. Two or three points are often lost on a few skills: percentages in math, evidence questions in language arts, reading a graph’s axes in science. Your score report lists the skills to work on; the practice questions let you check them, and the retake page gives the price of the next attempt in your state and any waiting period.
Using College Ready and credit
ged.com lays out the steps: send your transcript and score report to the college you plan to attend, then ask the admissions office whether a College Ready score exempts you from placement tests or remedial courses, and whether it accepts credit earned through a College Ready + Credit score. Each college decides, and policies differ even within one state, so ask before you enroll rather than after the first term has started. ged.com sums up the benefit as saving money and earning a degree faster.
Reading a GED Ready score
GED Ready uses the same scale and three colors: 145 to 200 green, likely to pass; 134 to 144 yellow, too close to call; 100 to 133 red, not likely to pass. Enter a GED Ready score in the checker to see how many points remain, and read the GED Ready page for when a green score is required.
Scores and your state
The passing score of 145 is the same in every state that uses the GED: states set prices, ages, residency and retake rules, not the pass mark. What a state can add are conditions around the scores: some free programs ask for a GED Ready score first, and New York does not let you retest a passed subject to raise it. Your state policy page sets out these rules; check it before you book, especially if you passed some subjects years ago and want to finish now.