GED Ready: the official practice test, its price and when it pays
GED Ready costs $7.99 a subject. It is required before testing online, optional at a center, and cheaper than a retake in 38 jurisdictions.
GED Ready for 4 subjects
$25.99
Optional at a test center, unless your state asks for it.
| One subject | $7.99 |
| All four (bundle) | $25.99 |
| A retake in Ohio | $10 |
| Full-price subject | $36 |
Prices from ged.com read on October 22, 2026. GED Ready is half the length of the real test; one purchase gives one attempt. Results: 145 to 200 likely to pass, 134 to 144 too close to call, 100 to 133 not likely to pass.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · fees and rules read on ged.com and hiset.org on October 22, 2026
GED Ready is the official practice test sold on ged.com, written by the makers of the real exam. It costs $7.99 for one subject or $25.99 for the four, it is half the length of the real test and timed the same way, and one purchase gives one attempt; there are several versions, so a second purchase does not repeat questions. It runs on a computer or laptop, not on a phone. The result comes in three bands: 145 to 200 is likely to pass (green), 134 to 144 too close to call (yellow), 100 to 133 not likely to pass (red), with a study plan that points to the skills to work on. Online it is compulsory: you need a green score in the 60 days before each subject you take at home. At a test center it is optional unless your state asks for it. The money question is simple: in 38 of the 49 GED jurisdictions, even a discounted retake at a center costs more than one GED Ready, and an online retake is always full price, at least $36. The calculator puts the two side by side for your state.
What you get for the price
One attempt at a half-length, timed test in one subject, a score on the same 100 to 200 scale as the real test, and a study plan that lists the skills you missed and points to pages in common study materials. The plan can be printed for a teacher. You need a free ged.com account to start the test, and a computer: ged.com says mobile devices are not supported, so that the practice feels like a test center screen.
GED Ready or a retake: the numbers
A failed real test costs a retake. In 38 jurisdictions, the cheapest retake at a center is above $7.99; in Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming a retake costs $7.99 or less, often nothing, so GED Ready matters less there for the money and more for the study plan. Online the comparison is clearer still: every retake is full price, and after two online attempts at a subject you must wait 60 days. One practice test that warns you off a weak subject saves both the fee and the wait.
GED Ready against a retake in your state
GED Ready for 1 subject
$7.99
| One subject | $7.99 |
| All four (bundle) | $25.99 |
| A retake in Texas | $42.25 |
| Full-price subject | $42.25 |
How to read the three bands
Green, 145 to 200: book the real subject, ideally soon while the material is fresh; online, you have 60 days. Yellow, 134 to 144: work on the skills in your study plan for a week or two and buy a second version. Red, 100 to 133: go back to studying the subject; a few weeks of class or structured practice usually comes before another attempt. Our score checker shows what a real score means once you have one.
One subject or the bundle?
The bundle at $25.99 saves $5.97 against four separate purchases, but only if you will take all four soon. People who test one subject at a time, as ged.com suggests many do, often prefer to buy each subject when they get close to it, so that the score reflects their level at the right moment, which matters online with the 60-day window.
Taking it in good conditions
ged.com recommends taking each GED Ready in one sitting for the most accurate score. Choose a quiet hour, close other tabs, keep only the materials allowed on the real test, and do not pause to look things up: a score earned with help says nothing about test day. Afterwards, read the study plan before buying anything else; it is the part of the purchase that keeps its value once the score is known.
Free alternatives first
Before paying, try the free practice material: ged.com offers free test previews of each subject, and our free GED practice questions cover the four subjects with explanations. They do not give the likely-to-pass indicator, but they show which subject needs the most work, so that you spend $7.99 where it tells you something new.
States that ask for GED Ready at a center too
Some states write GED Ready into their own rules, even for center testing. In the District of Columbia, a retake requires a GED Ready score of likely to pass or too close to call in that subject, after a waiting period. New Mexico’s free testing program asks for 145 or more within 60 days of scheduling. Rhode Island’s fee waiver for financial hardship requires a likely-to-pass score, and New Hampshire’s age waiver for 16 and 17 year olds asks for a green score. Each rule is on the state’s GED policy page, linked in the sources below; your state’s prices and help programs are on the GED cost page.