1.1 Current Exam Facts

What Is the HiSET Language Arts – Reading Subtest?

The HiSET Language Arts – Reading subtest is one of five subtests of the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), administered by PSI Services LLC through the HiSET program at hiset.org. Along with Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Writing, the Reading subtest measures the reading comprehension skills expected of a high school graduate. Passing all five subtests earns a high school equivalency credential accepted by most U.S. states and jurisdictions as an alternative to a traditional diploma. The HiSET exists alongside the GED as one of the two widely recognized high school equivalency exams; some states offer both options while others have adopted one exclusively.

Who Runs the HiSET (and Why You Will See "ETS" on Older Material)

The HiSET program is published and administered by PSI Services LLC. Every current official document carries that attribution: the Test at a Glance, the Test Taker Bulletin, and the free practice tests are all copyright PSI Services LLC, hiset.org is branded "powered by PSI," and candidate support runs through PSI. The program did not start there — Educational Testing Service (ETS) created the HiSET, sold it to PSI in 2021, and then acquired PSI itself in January 2024, so PSI now operates as an ETS company while the HiSET keeps the PSI brand.

This matters for one practical reason: a great deal of older prep material, and some state adult-education pages, still describe the HiSET as an "ETS exam." That is a branding lag, not a different test. When you need a binding answer about format, scoring, or policy, use hiset.org and the PSI-published documents rather than any page that still routes you to ETS.

Format at a Glance

Passage Types and Genres

Each form presents several reading passages drawn from across the genres listed above. Literary texts (~40% of items) include fiction excerpts from short stories or novels, memoir passages, biographical sketches, and poetry. Informational texts (~60%) include essays, workplace and community documents, editorial and opinion pieces, and science- or history-oriented nonfiction. Passages range from roughly 400 to 600 words, which is long enough to require active reading but short enough to finish within the time limit if you pace yourself. Expect roughly 6 to 10 passages per form, each accompanied by several questions that ask you to interpret, analyze, or draw inferences from what you read.

Pretest Items

Not every question on your form will count toward your score. PSI includes pretest items (also called field-test items) that look identical to scored items but are being tried out for statistical performance before being used operationally on future forms. You cannot identify pretest items with certainty, so the only safe approach is to treat every item as if it counts. The 50-item count includes both scored and pretest items, which is why the number of scored items is fewer than 50 and can vary slightly by form.

What a Typical Test Day Looks Like

On test day you arrive at a test center (or log in to a remote-proctored session where allowed), present identification, store prohibited items, and begin the Reading subtest under timed conditions. For the English form, you have 65 minutes to work through all 50 items; for the Spanish form, 80 minutes. That works out to roughly 1.3 minutes per item in English — a pace that feels brisk but manageable if you read passages actively and do not dwell on any single question. There is no penalty for guessing, so you should never leave a question blank; a flagged guess is always better than no answer. When time expires, the test closes automatically and your responses are locked.

HiSET vs GED

Both the HiSET and the GED lead to the same kind of credential — a high school equivalency diploma — but they differ in structure. The HiSET has five subtests (Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies), while the GED groups its content into four subject areas (Reasoning Through Language Arts, Mathematical Reasoning, Science, Social Studies). For reading specifically, the HiSET Reading subtest is a standalone 50-item, 65-minute multiple-choice test, whereas the GED's Reasoning Through Language Arts integrates reading and writing into one extended-response battery. Some states offer both exams; others offer only one. Which equivalency exam a state accepts is set at the state level, so check hiset.org for the current list of HiSET-accepting jurisdictions.

Why a Standalone Reading Subtest?

The HiSET places reading comprehension in its own subtest, separate from writing, to isolate the skills of receiving and interpreting written language from the skills of producing it. This matters for test-takers whose reading and writing strengths are uneven: a strong reader who struggles with essay writing can demonstrate competence on the Reading subtest without being penalized for writing weakness, and vice versa. The subtest also aligns with the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), specifically Anchor 10, which expects students to read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently — a skill set that maps directly onto workplace documents, college textbooks, and civic reading.

Pacing Implication of the Format

With 50 items in 65 minutes, you have about 78 seconds per item including the time it takes to read the passage. Because each passage is 400–600 words (roughly 2–4 minutes of active reading), your effective per-question time after reading is closer to 45–60 seconds. The practical implication: do not try to memorize a passage on the first read. Instead, read for gist and structure — note where the main idea sits, where key transitions happen, and where specific details cluster — then return to the passage to confirm each answer. This active-read-then-return pattern is the single most important pacing skill on the HiSET Reading subtest and is reinforced throughout later chapters.