Test of Adult Basic Education
The Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) is a test that assesses basic skills at a high school level. The TABE test is geared toward adult learners and includes knowledge that adults in a learning environment should already know. The TABE test is required by many institutions, such as vocational schools and technical colleges, and in many professions, such as pharmaceuticals, fire fighters, medical/nursing, dental, and police. Taking the TABE test meets state requirements for career programs, GED programs, and adult high school.
The TABE test comes in three forms: TABE 9&10, advanced level tests, and CLAS-E. TABE 9&10 is the most common test. It assesses a student’s basic skills in reading, language mechanics, spelling, vocabulary, and math. It can be taken online or by pencil and paper and is available in five levels of difficulty: literacy, easy, medium, difficult, and advanced. The test consists of 100 questions that need to be answered in two hours and 30 minutes. The advanced-level TABE test is available for algebra/geometry, writing, social studies, and science. These tests are good practice for individuals who need a little more instruction in a certain area before taking the GED test.
- The writing test contains two prompts that require you to write an essay response.
- The social studies and science tests are multiple-choice and contain 35 questions each.
- The algebra/geometry test is multiple-choice with 60 questions.
The CLAS-E TABE test assesses the English skills of adult learners. It is most commonly used for English as a Second Language students whose primary language is a language other than English. The CLAS-E TABE test measures one’s skills in writing, speaking, reading, and listening in order to effectively place students in appropriate classes, programs, or career paths. Students are tested on numbers, syntax, words, phrases, same and opposite, discerning sounds, idioms, expressions, determining roles, cause/effect, fact/opinion, verbs, nouns, sentence structure, social interaction, use of a telephone, and paraphrasing. The CLAS-E TABE test requires students to answer 75 questions in 92 minutes.
The TABE test is required by many colleges and adult education programs, so you should check with your school regarding its requirements.
Although the TABE test is free to take at many colleges and schools, some testing centers may require a small fee of about $30.
After you finish the TABE test, you will immediately know your results. You will also see your score for each area of the test, as well as your grade equivalent, scale score, and national percentile. The score report will include your mastery level for each objective, so you can easily see which areas you need to improve upon and seek further help. Non-mastery means you answered less than 65 percent correctly; partial mastery is 65-74 percent; and mastery is at or above 75 percent. There is no set score. The score you need to obtain depends on the program or school to which you are applying. If you fail the TABE test, you can retake it after a six-week waiting period. You do not need to retake the entire test, just the section(s) you did not pass.
Last Updated: 04/24/2012