There are more than 3,500 testing sites in the United States and Canada. Testing sites differ from district to district, but they are most commonly municipal high schools or other public schools.
For students in large population areas, they often have a choice of two or more testing sites, which they can list according to preference when registering to take the GED test. The test administrator(s) will then determine which site each student may take their test at by reviewing factors such as distance from home; the number of students taking the test on any given day; and whether or not two students taking the test at the same place and time have ever been in school together previously, which could indicate a desire for them to cheat off of each other's work.
GED testing sites are kept as controlled environments. The only items all students are allowed to bring into the testing room are pens, pencils, and erasers; in some districts, food and drink is allowed for students who are taking all 5 tests in the same day, in order to prevent them from becoming famished or ill during breaks. Any items other than writing implements, including food, coats, and hats, are subject to confiscation by the test administrator(s), and may only be given back before the test's conclusion unless a need is demonstrated.
There are approximately 25 different editions of the GED tests that are used by administrators. This is done to prevent students from cheating off of each other's work. Each edition of the test is assigned a number as well as a color; for example, one test edition might be both "3" and "yellow." Each student uses the same edition for the entire testing battery to make scoring easier. Other students taking the test at the same time and place will use a different edition of the test. All editions are judged to be at the same level of difficulty, and each version contains the same number of questions in each skill area.