For many people, the General Education Development tests offer a second chance to get the educational credit they need to start a career or go to college.

The Gainesville/Hall County Alliance for Literacy is encouraging anyone who may have started the test but has not yet completed their GED exams to make preparations to complete them as soon as possible.

The current test is comprised of five subject areas: math, social studies, science, reading and writing.

On Jan. 2, 2014, the GED test will change completely. Instead of five subject areas, the test will be reduced to four. Essay questions will be embedded in the other sections, eliminating the previous writing section.

Armando Diaz, a spokesman for the GED Testing Service, said the new test will be more in line with the common core performance standards adopted by most states, including Georgia.

The GED tests will be performed entirely on computers rather than with pencil and paper as they have been since they began in 1942.

In addition to providing almost immediate unofficial results, Diaz said the new test’s score reports will go a step further by indicating areas of strength and weaknesses.

The test will still be based on the previous model of demonstrating the same or better knowledge level of 60 percent of graduating high school seniors.

“We’ll continue to use that 60 percent cutoff score. So the test will continue to reflect whatever level the current graduating high school seniors are at,” Diaz said.

The GED Testing Service has started a national close-out campaign to try and spread the word about the upcoming changes. Any student who has not completed the test in its entirety by the end of 2013 will have to start the test over from the beginning.

The approaching deadline has some adult educators worried students will not be able to complete the test on time.

The Gainesville/Hall County Alliance for Literacy Adult Learning Center helps GED students prepare for the test. The center has nearly 20 computers available in its Pearson lab to be used specifically for GED testing.

“You can’t just come into the center today and say ‘I want to test.’ Chances are there is not going to be a computer available,” said Dorothy Shinafelt, executive director for the Gainesville/Hall County Alliance for Literacy. “They book up fairly rapidly. ... Our biggest concern is that there are going to be students that we are not going to be able to serve because they have procrastinated too long.”

Shinafelt said she hopes students who have not completed their tests yet will make plans to finish their exams soon.

“The sad thing for the students is that if you have someone who has three or four tests completed, passed and under their belt, come September or October of next year, we may be so overcrowded that they can’t get in to take that final test or two and they’ll have to start all over,” she said.

If students do not complete the tests in time, they could be charged the full cost, which increased in price from $95 to $160 in July.

Shinafelt said that decision will be made closer to the date by the Technical College System of Georgia.

Shinafelt said the center is seeking donations to help provide scholarships for students who may have difficulty paying for the exam.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey, there are an estimated 13,242 people over the age of 25 in Hall County with less than a high school education. Another 12,603 adults have less than a ninth-grade education.

That number does not reflect the number of people younger than 25 who have dropped out of high school.

Shinafelt said students take the GED test for a number of reasons, the most frequent being personal satisfaction, the desire to be a better role model for their children and to earn more money.

According to the GED Testing Center, people with a high school credential earn $568,000 more in their lifetimes than people without one.

For Brigitte Accary, having a GED diploma has made a huge difference in almost every aspect of her life.

“It saved my life,” she said. “I feel like I can achieve something. I feel like I’m still useful, like I’ll still be able to do things in my life. I feel proud.”

Accary moved to Atlanta from France about a year and a half ago to be closer to her son.

She said in her country it isn’t common for people to change careers or attend school at her age. But her dream is to become a police officer because she wants to help serve people.

She described her English when she arrived in the U.S. as “very poor.” So she started taking classes at the learning center in Gainesville to immerse herself in the language.

In order to become a police officer, she needed to earn her GED diploma, a daunting task for someone who isn’t a native. But she spent every day for six months preparing for the test which she passed earlier this year.

“If I can do it, anyone can do it,” Accary said.

She has now begun the process of becoming a U.S. citizen and said she is excited about everything the future holds for her. She said her self-confidence has grown tremendously, as has her desire to learn. She intends to learn Spanish next.

Shinafelt said that is exactly what the center hopes happens for its students.

“We realize that receiving the GED is a monumental step for a lot of our students but we encourage them to move on. This is a first step it’s not the final goal,” Shinafelt said.