AHSGE Exam Review
If you're a high school student in the state of Alabama, you're going to be required to pass an exit exam in order to receive a high school diploma. The test is called the Alabama High School Graduation Exam, or AHSGE, and every high school student in the state is required to pass it before they get a diploma. The AHSGE was implemented about 10 years ago as Alabama, like most other states in the country, was dealing with deficiencies in their educational system. One of the biggest complaints came from colleges and employers who said that more and more high school graduates were unable to function on a job or at college due to a lack of basic knowledge, even though they had a diploma. So the AHSGE was implemented to reassure the public that possession of a high school diploma actually indicates that a person has achieved a certain minimum level of knowledge.
Students are given five chances to take the AHSGE before they graduate. The test is given over a five day span, with each day devoted to a particular subject-science, math, reading comprehension, social studies, and language, with each test taking around 90 minutes to complete. The social studies portion is mainly on American history, while the math test is almost all on Algebra 1, with some questions on pre-geometry. Reading comprehension tests students on their ability to read and interpret a short passage on different topics. The science portion is mostly biology with some physical science questions in the mix. And the language test covers vocabulary, grammar, sentence construction, etc. The AHSGE should be taken seriously by all Alabama high school students, as it's impossible to earn a high school diploma without passing this exam, and without a high school diploma life can be tough, with nothing but a future of low wage, low skill jobs to look forward to. So get serious about passing the AHSGE.