What to Take to the GED Test Center

Before you leave your house to go to the GED test center on test day, make sure you take a few important items (like your picture ID) with you — and leave behind a few other items (like a midmorning snack or backpack) that you won't be allowed to take into the test room.

Do bring the following items with you to the test site:

• Identification with your picture, date of birth, and address on it

• Mints or gum as a refreshment

• The test fee (if not prepaid) or proof of payment

Don't take the following items into the test room:

• Smartphone, cellphone, or other communication devices

• Portable music device

• Electronic devices, games, or unsanctioned calculator

  Bringing your own calculator is optional. If you take your own calculator, it has to be a TI-30XS on-screen calculator. If you'd rather, you can just use the on-screen embedded calculator.

• Food or drink

• Textbooks, notebooks, reference books

• Purse, backpack, briefcase, or duffel bag

• Jacket, coat, hat, and gloves

You're entering the test center to take (and pass) the test, not relocate your entire inventory of helpful devices. You may miss these items, but leave them at home or in your car. You don't want to risk having the test moderator disqualify you for any reason, and there may not be any safe storage for these items at the test center.

The one thing you can bring that may be more helpful than all those electronic gadgets is your brain. (Please don't try leaving it at home on the kitchen counter.) Careful thinking combined with careful preparation can successfully get you through the GED test challenge.