Preparing
Mesalands Community College provides free classes and materials to prepare students for the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) in the Educational Services Center. These classes are held Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Testing
The HiSET is offered once a month in the Educational Services Center.
The HiSET is paper-based and contains five tests. Each test is timed and it is recommended by the ESC staff to split the five between two days.
- Language Arts/Reading: 65 minutes
- Language Arts/Writing: 120 minutes
- Mathematics: 90 minutes
- Science: 80 minutes
- Social Studies: 70 minutes
- Total Test Time: 7 hrs
Cost
Cost of the full battery is $75, but can be paid per test ($15), if the test taker prefers to register and take only one test subject at a time.
Scoring
Criteria to pass the HiSET exam, you need to:
- Score at least 8 out of 20 on each of the five subtests
- Score at least 2 out of 6 on the essay
- Achieve a total scaled score on all five HiSET subtests of at least 45 out of 100
The HiSET pass score is based on a national study of high school juniors and seniors and indicates that 60 percent of graduating high school students would pass the HiSET exam.
Retakes
If the student does not meet the minimum HiSET score requirements, they can take it again. The subtest can only be taken up to three times in a calendar year, therefore students are encouraged to study before scheduling their next appointment. There are no additional test fees if the student retakes the test, within 12 months of the purchasing date.
