GED or General Educational Development is a testing service which is a joint venture of North American council with Pearson being the sole developer. It includes tests on a group of four subjects. When cleared, GED provides certification that the test taker has high school-level academic skills of North American or Canadian standards.
Although the abbreviation GED is frequently mistaken as “general education degree” or “general education diploma”, the North American Council on education, which owns the GED trademark, coined the abbreviation to identify it as General Educational Development. It measures proficiency of the candidate in science, mathematics, social studies, reading, and writing. Passing the GED test gives one the opportunity to earn their high school equivalency in case they were not able to or were not eligible to pursue high school diploma.
GED tests are available in English, Spanish, and French (in Canada). They are available in large print, audio, and braille (for differently-abled). Tests and test preparations are also offered to persons deployed on military bases. Individuals living outside the United States and Canada may be eligible to take the GED tests through Pearson Vue testing centers. The minimum age to apply for a GED exam is 16 years (some states have 18 years the minimum age). Although you can prepare for GED using study materials and give mock tests online., they do not conduct online examinations. GED tests are conducted at authorized centers.
The GED test is multiple choice questions, drag and drop, hot spots (selecting an area), fill in the blanks, short and extended responses. Tests are taken on subjects like math, which cover topics like quantitative and algebraic problem solving. Science covers topics like earth science, physical science, life science, space science. Social studies has topics included such as U.S history economics and world geography. Reasoning through language tests your reading writing and reasoning ability. All the subject tests are allotted different duration. Reasoning and mathematics are allotted one hundred and fifty and one hundred and fifteen minutes each, where as social studies and science get seventy and ninety minutes respectively. Different states have different GED test fee. You can either create an account on GED’s official website to know the state wise fee structure. The average price for the tests is thirty dollars or less. You have the option of retaking the tests at discounted rates.
They say it is never too late to pursue your dreams. This is especially true when it comes to career and education. Unfortunately, not all can afford to quit their jobs and go back to school. This can make it difficult to pursue higher studies or certain courses that can enhance skills. Fortunately, there are several free online learning platforms that allow anyone and everyone to be able to have access to good quality learning resources.
Here are some of the best websites for free online education that you can sign up for.
Coursera
Coursera is one of the most popular platforms for taking free online courses. It features classes, both free as well as paid, on a variety of different topics. This platform is currently being used by over 35 million learners that have access to 150 university partners, 2,700 courses, 250 specializations, and four degrees. These courses are curated in partnership with leading universities and organizations from around the world, such as Stanford and Harvard.
edX
edX is a platform that was founded by Harvard and MIT that brings together top-ranked universities. This platform was founded to help eliminate the primary barriers that prevent people from pursuing education, i.e., cost, location, and access. Along with free courses, edX also offers certain specialized courses for a specific fee. The platform can be accessed by interested educators and technologists through Open edX if they wish to assist in developing new educational tools.
Udemy
Udemy is another online learning platform that is quite similar to Coursera in terms of the format of the courses. The unique aspect of this platform is that it allows users to build their own custom courses by compiling individual lessons so that these can be taught online. There are over 100,000 courses in 50 languages on this platform that are taught by 42,000 instructors from around the world.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed is a platform made by TED to help share ideas and knowledge from teachers to students. This award-winning platform has a global network of more than 250,000 teachers that teach several free courses on a variety of categories and themes. The lessons are taught using animated videos and interactive content so as to make them more interesting for the students.
If you are planning to pursue an accounting degree, you should consider doing it online. There are more than 580 institutions in the country that offer master’s degrees in accounting, and many of them offer their courses online. Therefore, you can pursue this course without shifting to a different state, and you can also continue with your current job. Here are the top picks of online master’s degrees in accounting that you can consider if you are interested in this field.
Auburn University
The online master’s degree in accounting at Auburn University is open for you if you hold a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or business, and if you meet all the prerequisites for the business and accounting department. Students who enroll in this program receive study materials, instructions, and assignments that are similar to the on-campus course. The schedule is extremely flexible and can accommodate working professionals as well. Full-time students of this course can complete it within one year. They get to select electives like real estate finance and information risk analysis, among others. This course also prepares students for the Uniform CPA Exam. This whole program is available online, including the exam. However, students have to complete a three-day on-campus residency during their final semester.
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina offers an online Master of Accounting (MAC) degree through its Kenan-Flagler Business School. This school accepts students from all undergraduate backgrounds. However, students who have business or accounting backgrounds may get course waivers. Students who enroll in this course can choose a concentration in Tax or Audit. If you take up the full-time course, you can finish it in less than 15 months. You can start this course either in June or December. This way, even if you miss the application deadline for one semester, you do not have to wait for an entire year to enroll in the course. The MAC degree is entirely online, except for a one-week leadership immersion on campus, which is mandatory and takes place at the beginning of the course.
University of Connecticut
An online master’s degree in accounting from the University of Connecticut is one of the best online courses in the country. This university offers a Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program. Full-time students can complete it in two semesters. Working professionals who enroll in this degree take two courses per semester. The University of Connecticut also offers you electives like Forensic Accounting, Disclosure for Not-for-Profit Entities, and Fraud Examination among others.