MOSES LAKE - With a new GED test coming in January, students who are taking the test must be done by Dec. 31, or they will have to start over and pay the fee a second time, according to Big Bend Community College officials.

In fact, students should plan on completing the test by early December, Sandy Cheek, BBCC director of adult basic education, said. The test is not available online and must be taken at official testing centers, and most of those are closed for the Christmas and New Year holidays, she said.

"Many students have just one or two tests left and it would be shame for them to lose all their hard work," Cheek said. "It's definitely worth the effort."

Test dates vary depending on the site, but an appointment is required, so students are being urged to sign up for a testing date, she said.

In January the current five-part test will be replaced with a four-part test; each part can be taken separately, but students must pass all sections to receive the GED, Doug Sly, public affairs director at BBCC, said.

The fee for the new test will be $150, Sly said. It's considered to be more rigorous and a better indicator of the student's readiness for post-secondary education or career training, he said.

People who want to take the test at BBCC should contact Margie Lane, 509-793-2964. People who are currently working on the test can contact a local testing center at www.sbctc.edu and clicking the "GED test verify" button.