Pass the Seattle GED on your schedule, from Rainier Valley to Ballard.
There is no GED test center inside Seattle city limits. The three Seattle Colleges teach preparation but do not test, so every Seattle test-taker either heads to a suburban campus or sits the exam at home. We plan around whichever you pick, and Washington allows online testing 24/7.
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The fast facts for taking the GED in Washington — verify on official sources before your test date.
Certificate of Educational Competency
Available in Spanish
Facts verified May 31, 2026
Official GED test sites listed by GED Testing Service for the Seattle metro. Verify hours and seat availability on ged.com before you go.
Center listings refreshed quarterly. The official source is GED Testing Service.
Local context for prep — testing capacity, college access, statewide pricing, and the always-available online option.
Six campuses ring the city — Shoreline, Edmonds in Lynnwood, Lake Washington Tech in Kirkland, Bellevue College, Renton Tech, and Highline in Des Moines. None sit inside Seattle itself. Book any of them through ged.com.
Washington sets one of the highest standard testing ages in the country at 19, per ged.com's Washington policy — West Virginia also requires 19. From 16 to 18 you can test with documentation that you are not enrolled in a high school program, with exceptions for military, incarcerated and Open Doors participants.
ged.com lists $36 per subject for Washington, the same in person or online — $144 for all four. A discounted retake at a test center is $10; online retakes are not discounted.
With no test center in the city, testing from home is the shortest path for a lot of Seattle students. ged.com lists appointments 24/7 at the same $36 per subject; you need a webcam, a private room and valid ID.
Same prep, same teachers, wherever you are. What changes is how the program meets the realities of studying in Seattle.
Lessons run 6 to 9 minutes, which is one Link light rail leg from Rainier Beach or a break between shifts. Practice fits a lunch hour or the half hour after the kids go down. Nothing in your plan expires, and there is no fixed class night to sit on I-5 for.
Seattle graduates move into Seattle Central, North and South Seattle College certificates, transfer tracks toward the University of Washington, and the roles that gate on a diploma across the region — support work at UW Medicine and Providence Swedish, warehouse and delivery operations, airport and port jobs, and the building trades. The Seattle Colleges and the YWCA run free preparation in the city even though they do not test.
Four credentialed teachers — one per subject — answer your questions seven days a week. Median reply is under four hours. Most students study 45 minutes a day. No ticket queue, no chatbot.
Real Seattle students. Real diplomas. Real next chapters.
Enrolled in an early childhood education program at North Seattle College.
“I sat math and science in Spanish and the reading in English, which Washington allows. The certificate reads the same. I studied on the 7 bus most mornings.”
Started a nursing assistant certificate at Seattle Central College.
“I kept looking for somewhere in the city to test and there is nowhere. Once I worked that out I just did it from my apartment at nine at night. Eleven weeks of studying before that.”
Started an apprenticeship after passing all four subjects.
“The diagnostic said language arts was already passing on day one. Nine weeks on math and science instead of restudying everything. Renton Tech is fifteen minutes from my place.”
Cleared the diploma requirement for an airline ramp job.
“Highline in Des Moines was the closest center to me and it is right by the airport anyway. Two subjects one morning, two more a month after. Nobody tells you that you can split them.”
Same program, same teachers, different metro. Pick another city or head back to the Washington hub for the statewide overview.
Specific to taking the GED in Seattle. For broader course questions, see the help center or email support@twigera.com.
Not in Seattle itself, which surprises most people. The six nearest centers are Shoreline Community College on Greenwood Avenue North, Edmonds College in Lynnwood, Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Bellevue College, Renton Technical College, and Highline College in Des Moines. North Seattle, South Seattle and Seattle Central Colleges all teach GED preparation but do not administer the exam. Book through ged.com rather than the campus. The alternative is testing online from home.
Nineteen, which is among the highest of any state — most set it at 18, a few at 17, and West Virginia also requires 19. If you are between 16 and 18 you can still test, but you need documentation showing you are not enrolled in any high school program. There are separate routes for military members, incarcerated test-takers, and students in the state's Open Doors reengagement program. Under-18 online testers need a guardian present at check-in.
Washington charges $36 per subject, or $144 for all four, and the price is the same whether you test at a suburban campus or online from home. If you fail a subject, the discounted retake at a test center is $10, because GED Testing Service waives its own $26 fee for one retake per subject within 365 days. Online retakes carry no discount and cost the full $36, so a borderline subject is much cheaper to sit in person.
Yes, and for a lot of Seattle students it is the shortest path, because there is no test center in the city. Washington offers online proctored appointments 24/7 at the same $36 per subject. You need a passing score on the official GED Ready practice test first, plus a webcam, a reliable connection, valid ID and a private room where nobody will interrupt you. Online retakes are not discounted.
Yes. Every test-taker must be a Washington resident at the time of testing in order to be awarded the Certificate of Educational Competency, which the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges issues in partnership with GED Testing Service. If you have recently moved to Seattle, get your residency documentation in order before you book, and make sure the name on your ID matches your ged.com account. Expired IDs are not accepted at any Washington testing center.
Yes. Washington lets you take the test in English or Spanish and lets you combine the two languages across the four subjects, so math in Spanish and language arts in English is allowed if that is how you think. Twigera's prep is in English, and we suggest sitting each subject in whichever language you read fastest. The Certificate of Educational Competency issued is identical regardless of language.
Yes. Seattle Central College, North Seattle College, South Seattle College, the University of Washington and Seattle University all treat the Certificate of Educational Competency as equivalent to a high school diploma for admission, as does every other public institution in the state. The Seattle Colleges are the usual first stop — nursing assistant, IT, early childhood and trades certificates all open up once you hold the credential, and those credits transfer toward a UW degree later.
Yes, and unlike the testing, these are in the city. North Seattle College on College Way North, South Seattle College on 16th Avenue Southwest, and Seattle Central College on Broadway all run free adult basic education, and the YWCA on Fifth Avenue offers preparation too. None of them administer the exam, so you still travel to a suburban campus or test online. Classes are free; the test is $144.
Eight to fourteen weeks of steady study, then either a morning at Shoreline or Bellevue, or an online appointment from your own kitchen at whatever hour suits. Start with the free diagnostic and we will show you which subjects need the work.
