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United States · Exam

HiSET test

Pass five subtests, Reading, Writing, Math, Science and Social Studies, and your state awards you a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma or certificate. The HiSET test is run by PSI Services and offered in 24 states plus five Pacific island jurisdictions. Each state sets its own fees, age rules and retake limits. You can book one subtest at a time, at a test center or, in most states, at home with an online proctor.

  • 5Subtests, booked in any order
  • 1 to 20Score range on each subtest
  • 29States and Pacific jurisdictions offering it
  • 7.5 hoursAll five in one day, if offered
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the HiSET Test at a Glance and HiSET Test Taker Bulletin 2026

Key facts

At a glance

Questions
50 to 61 a subtest, multiple choice
Time
65 to 120 minutes a subtest
Cost
Set by your state, per subtest
Where
Test center on computer or paper, or at home in most states

How it works

How the HiSET test works: five subtests you book one at a time

Lowest subtest
8 to pass
Total of all five · 45 to pass
Essay
2 to pass
To pass you need 8 of 20 on the lowest subtest, 45 of 100 on the total of all five, and 2 of 6 on the essay.
  1. You book and pay for each subtest on its own, in any order, through your state’s myHiSET account, by phone or at a test center, depending on your state.
  2. Every subtest is multiple choice, and Writing adds one essay.
  3. Test centers may offer the test on computer, on paper or both. Most states also let you test at home with a live online proctor.
  4. On a computer you get an on-screen tutorial of up to 15 minutes that doesn’t count toward your time. One question shows at a time, and you can go back and change answers before time runs out.
  5. Wrong answers don’t count against you, so the HiSET Study Companion tells you to guess when you’re not sure.
  6. If you take more than one subtest in a session, you get breaks between them. Breaks aren’t allowed during an at-home test.
  7. On average, scores are posted within 3 business days for multiple-choice subtests and 5 for Writing. Paper tests can take longer.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

Language Arts Reading

50 multiple-choice questions on literary and informational passages, in 65 minutes (80 minutes in Spanish).

Key points (4)
  • About 40% of the questions are on literary texts and 60% on informational texts (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • Passages generally run about 400 to 600 words (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • The four process categories are comprehension, inference and interpretation, analysis, and synthesis and generalization (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • Some questions may not count toward your score (HiSET Test at a Glance).
02

Language Arts Writing and the essay

60 multiple-choice editing questions and one essay, in 120 minutes. You need at least 2 out of 6 on the essay to pass this subtest.

Key points (4)
  • The multiple-choice questions are about 22% organization of ideas, 43% language facility and 35% writing conventions (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • The questions show a draft with parts underlined or highlighted, and you choose the best revision (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • For the essay you read a pair of texts and take a position, supported by evidence from the texts and your own experience (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • To pass Writing you need 8 out of 20 overall and 2 out of 6 on the essay on the same test date (HiSET Test Taker FAQ).
03

Mathematics

55 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. Almost half are on algebra, and a formula sheet gives you most formulas.

Key points (4)
  • Algebraic concepts are about 45% of the questions; numbers and operations about 19%; measurement and geometry about 18%; data, probability and statistics about 18% (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • A formula sheet is provided, but distance equals rate times time, the Pythagorean theorem and the quadratic formula aren’t on it (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • You can’t bring your own calculator. The test center provides one if you use it (HiSET Test Taker FAQ).
  • Questions use real situations, such as measuring, estimating and reading data (HiSET Test at a Glance).
04

Science

60 multiple-choice questions in 80 minutes, mostly built around descriptions of experiments, graphs and tables.

Key points (3)
  • About 49% of the questions are life science, 28% physical science and 23% earth science (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • Most questions come with stimulus material that describes an investigation and its results (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • You may be asked to pick the best design for a research question or the conclusion the results support (HiSET Test at a Glance).
05

Social Studies

60 multiple-choice questions in 70 minutes on history, civics, economics and geography, using documents, maps and charts.

Key points (3)
  • About 35% of the questions are history, 35% civics and government, 20% economics and 10% geography (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • Information may come as primary documents, posters, cartoons, timelines, maps, graphs, tables or passages (HiSET Test at a Glance).
  • Questions can ask you to tell fact from opinion and judge whether a source is reliable (HiSET Test at a Glance).
06

Scores, states and test day

Each subtest is scored from 1 to 20. Your state sets the fees, the age rules and how often you can retake.

Key points (4)
  • You pass with at least 8 out of 20 on each subtest, at least 45 in total and at least 2 out of 6 on the essay (HiSET Test Taker Bulletin 2026).
  • 15 or more on a subtest, with at least 4 on the essay for Writing, is a college and career readiness score (HiSET: Get Your Scores).
  • Your ID must be original, unexpired and match the name in your myHiSET account exactly (HiSET Test Taker Bulletin 2026).
  • Cancel at least 24 hours ahead or you lose the fee (HiSET: Get Started).

Test day

What to bring on HiSET test day

  • One original, unexpired government photo ID with your signature, in the exact name on your myHiSET account
  • Anything your state requires, such as proof of residency, a withdrawal form or an official practice test result
  • Payment for test center fees, if your center charges them
  • Approved accommodation items, if you have them
  • A copy of your confirmation email (a good idea, not required)

Before you go

  1. Check your state’s HiSET page for its age, residency, fee and retake rules.
  2. Create your myHiSET account through your state’s login link, in the name on your ID.
  3. Take a free official practice test and check your result against HiSET’s “Are You Ready?” score ranges.
  4. If you need accommodations, get them approved before you book.
  5. For an at-home test, run PSI’s compatibility check and set up your phone as a second camera.
  6. At a test center, arrive at least 30 minutes early. Phones, food, drinks and your own calculator stay out of the room.
HiSET: State requirements and myHiSET loginPick your state to see its rules and fees, then use its myHiSET login link to create an account and book. Some states make you book through a test center instead.

Study options

Where to study

HiSET’s own free practice tests come in English and Spanish for all five subtests, and local adult education programs teach HiSET classes for little or no cost, according to HiSET. HiSET Academy from Essential Education is the official paid prep course. We’ve compared the official materials, courses and books.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
HiSET free practice testsOfficial · web and PDFWritten by HiSET, with directions and an answer key. Versions FPT9, FPT8, FPT7 and FPT6A are listed. The computer-based tests take 30 to 45 minutes and explain wrong answers. Score yourself with HiSET’s “Are You Ready?” chart.
FreeHalf-length tests for all five subtests in English and Spanish, plus free computer-based versions in English
Practice tests ↗Are You Ready? (PDF) ↗
HiSET Test at a Glance, Study Companion and sample questionsOfficial guides (PDF)The official outline of what’s tested. The Test at a Glance, sample questions and formula sheet also come in Spanish. The scored sample essays show one response at each score from 1 to 6.
FreeEvery subtest’s time, question count and topics; a study checklist; sample questions; the math formula sheet
Test at a Glance (PDF) ↗Study Companion (PDF) ↗Sample questions (PDF) ↗
Apps and websites
HiSET Academy (Essential Education)Online courseHiSET names Essential Education as its official test prep provider. HiSET Academy has a diagnostic test, a personal learning plan and over 200 hours of lessons in all five subjects, with coaches by phone, text and email.
$19.99 a month or $99.99 lifetime; $23.99 a month or $129.99 lifetime with job skills coursesA free practice test with a study plan; refunds within 7 days
HiSET Academy ↗Pricing ↗
i-PathwaysOnline courseA non-profit course from the Center for the Application of Information Technologies at Western Illinois University, aligned to HiSET, GED and TASC. It covers reading, writing, math, science and social studies, with a placement test and learning checks.
Individual subscription; price not shown on its home pageAdult education programs can provide access
i-Pathways ↗
Aztec Learning System: HiSET Kaplan Prep SeriesOnline course and printAztec Software’s HiSET series, with Kaplan content, comes in digital and print versions. HiSET lists it among its prep providers.
Not listed for individualsFree cloud-based practice tests, according to HiSET
HiSET exam prep ↗
The Official Guide to the HiSET Exam, 2nd EditionBookHiSET says it’s the only guide created by its test makers and shows exactly what the real exam is like.
Sold on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble ↗
New Readers Press HiSET Test PreparationPrint and digital booksSeven HiSET preparation products in print and digital form, listed by HiSET among its prep providers.
Priced per product
HiSET test preparation ↗
In person
Local adult education programsClasses, in person and onlineSearch HiSET’s finder for programs and test centers near you. Some states require a program before you test, including Iowa, Palau and Guam.
Free in most states, according to HiSET; some charge a feeClasses, and access to the official practice tests some states require
Find a program ↗
American Job Centers (CareerOneStop)Job centersHiSET suggests CareerOneStop’s finder: some job centers are linked to adult education programs that run HSE preparation, and some are test centers.
Ask your local centerHelp finding adult education and next steps
Find a job center ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

Where to learnScheduleTest at homeStudy guideOfficial practiceScoresHiSET vs GED

Rules and test day

Requirements by stateTesting centersAccommodationsmyHiSET loginDiploma and transcripts

Study help

ClassesHiSET AcademyThe essayEn español

By state

IowaLouisianaTennessee

FAQ

Common questions

What is the HiSET test?

It’s a high school equivalency test. If you didn’t finish high school, passing it shows your academic skills match a high school graduate’s, and your state then issues an HSE diploma or certificate. HiSET stands for High School Equivalency Test. ETS developed it, and PSI has run the program since it bought it from ETS in 2021.

What is a passing score on the HiSET test?

Three things, all at once: at least 8 out of 20 on each of the five subtests, a total of at least 45, and at least 2 out of 6 on the Writing essay. So five scores of 8 aren’t enough, because they add up to 40. Our scores page explains the reports and the college and career readiness score.

Which states use the HiSET?

As of October 2026, 24 states and five Pacific island jurisdictions, among them California, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. New Jersey stopped offering it in 2023 and West Virginia in 2024, and Texas uses the GED. Our requirements page lists every HiSET state with its fees and age rules.

How much does the HiSET test cost?

It depends on your state, and you pay for each subtest separately. On HiSET’s state pages, one subtest at a test center costs from $18 (Iowa and North Carolina, for example) to $60 (Maine, if you don’t live there). Testing at home costs more, for example $41 a subtest in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Maine residents test free, Massachusetts and Mississippi pay for your tests, and Tennessee has a voucher program for residents.

Can I take the HiSET test online at home?

In most HiSET states, yes. You test on a desktop or laptop with a webcam while a live proctor watches, with a smartphone as a second camera. A few states don’t offer it, and our online test page lists them with the equipment you need.

Is the HiSET the same as the GED?

No. They’re two different high school equivalency tests, and your state decides which one you can take. HiSET has five subtests scored 1 to 20, and the GED has four scored 100 to 200. Our HiSET vs GED page compares them side by side.

How many times can you retake the HiSET test?

Your state decides. Louisiana and Ohio, for example, allow up to six attempts at a subtest in a calendar year, while Iowa allows three a year and Tennessee three every six months. Your test fee includes two retakes within 12 months, though you may still pay the test center or online proctor fee each time.

Sources: HiSET · Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education · Texas Education Agency and 20 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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