View source for General Educational Development

{{short description|High school diploma test}}
{{Redirect|GED}}
[[File:GED Testing Service.svg|thumb|Logo of the GED Testing Service, the only authorized provider of the GED test]]

The '''General Educational Development''' ('''GED''') tests are a group of four academic subject tests in the [[United States]] and [[Territories of the United States|its territories]] certifying academic knowledge equivalent to a [[high school diploma]]. This certification is an alternative to the U.S. high school diploma, as is [[HiSET]]. Passing the GED test gives those who do not complete high school, or who do not meet requirements for [[high school diploma]], the opportunity to earn a '''Certificate of High School Equivalency''' or similarly titled credential. 
GED Testing Service is a joint venture of the American Council on Education, which started the GED program in 1942.

The [[American Council on Education]], in Washington, D.C. (U.S.), which owns the GED [[trademark]], coined the initialism to identify "tests of general equivalency development" that measure proficiency in science, mathematics, [[social studies]], reading, and writing. The GED Testing Service website {{asof|2023|lc=y}} does not refer to the test as anything but "GED".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ged.com/|title=GED®: Get Your GED—Classes, Online Practice Test, Study Guides, More|website=GED|access-date=February 6, 2023}}</ref> It is called the GED in the majority of the United States,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/iowa-fifth-state-choose-etss-hiset-120000058.html|title=Iowa is the Fifth State to Choose ETS's HiSET|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311211643/http://news.yahoo.com/iowa-fifth-state-choose-etss-hiset-120000058.html|access-date=2019-02-04|archive-date=2014-03-11|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adultedcompass.org/ |title=Information about ESOL and Basic Education for Adults in New York City |website=Information about ESOL and Basic Education for Adults in New York City}}</ref> and internationally. In 2014, some states in the United States switched from GED to the [[HiSET]] and [[Test Assessing Secondary Completion|TASC]] (discontinued December 31, 2021).<ref>{{cite web|title=What is TASC and HiSET|url=http://www.gedboard.com/get-ged-tasc-hiset/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227042810/http://www.gedboard.com:80/get-ged-tasc-hiset/ |archive-date=February 27, 2015 |publisher=GED Board}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.edmentum.com/ged%C2%AE-tasc%E2%84%A2-or-hiset%C2%AE-what-difference |title=GED®, TASC™, or HiSET®? What is the Difference? |author=Edmentum blog |date=March 14, 2014 |website=Edmentum.com |publisher= |access-date=September 21, 2023 |quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blog.edmentum.com/ged%C2%AE-tasc%E2%84%A2-or-hiset%C2%AE-which-one-better-you |title=GED®, TASC™, or HiSET®? Which one is better for you? |last=Klaehn |first=Shawna |date=April 8, 2015 |website=Edmentum.com |publisher= |access-date=September 21, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>

The GED Testing Service is a joint venture of the American Council on Education. [[Pearson Education|Pearson]] is the sole developer for the GED test. The test is taken in person. States and jurisdictions award a high school equivalency credential (also called a high school equivalency development or general equivalency diploma) to persons who meet the passing score requirements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/about-ged-test|title=What is the GED® Test|access-date=2019-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328185546/http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/about-ged-test|archive-date=2013-03-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}}

In addition to [[English language|English]], the GED tests are available in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] in several states (e.g. California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Nevada, Texas).<ref>[http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/special-test-editions "Special Test Editions"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328190200/http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/special-test-editions |date=2013-03-28 }}, Retrieved February 19, 2013.</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} Tests and test preparation are also offered to people who are incarcerated or who live on military bases. People who live outside the United States and [[U.S. territories]] may be eligible to take the GED tests through [[Pearson VUE]] testing centers.<ref>[http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/international "International GED® Testing"], Retrieved February 19, 2013.</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} [[Utah]]'s Adult High School Completion program is an alternative for people who prefer to earn a diploma.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==History==
[[File:GED-Diploma-with-Instructions-Pennsylvania-1972.pdf|alt=GED Diploma with Instructions - PA 1972|thumb|GED diploma with instructions, Pennsylvania, 1972]]
In November 1942, the [[United States Armed Forces Institute]] asked the [[American Council on Education]] (ACE) to develop a battery of tests to measure high school-level academic skills.<ref name=History>{{cite web |url=http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/history |title=History of the GED® test |access-date=February 19, 2013 |work=GED Testing Service |publisher=GED Testing Service LLC |date=2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209082903/http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/history |archive-date=2013-02-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} These tests gave military personnel and veterans who had enrolled in the military before completing high school a way to demonstrate their proficiency. Passing these tests gave returning soldiers and sailors the academic credentials they needed to get civilian jobs and gain access to post-secondary education or training.

ACE revised the GED tests for a third time in 1988.<ref name=History/>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} The most noticeable change to the series was the addition of a writing sample, or [[essay]]. The new tests placed more emphasis on socially relevant topics and problem-solving skills. Surveys of test-takers found that more students (65%) reported taking the test with the intention of continuing their education beyond high school, rather than to get better employment (30%).<ref name=History/>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}}

A fourth revision was made in 2002 to make the test comply with more recent standards for high-school education.<ref name=History/>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}}

A fifth revision was released on January 2, 2014,<ref name=new-assessment>{{cite web |url=http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/new-assessment |title= The new assessment is a stepping-stone to a brighter future |access-date=October 22, 2013 | work = GED Testing Service | publisher = GED Testing Service LLC | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131023061953/http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/new-assessment | archive-date=October 23, 2013}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} designed to be administered on [[Pearson VUE]], a proprietary computer-based testing platform. The new test applies to the United States and internationally, but not to Canada, which used the 2002 version. As of May 2024, Canada discontinued the GED. It retained four content areas—language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies—but with different content to "measure a foundational core of knowledge and skills that are essential for career and college readiness."<ref name=new-assessment/>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}}

==Test administration==
There are more than 6,000 official GED Testing Centers in the United States and its territories, and several hundred in other countries.<ref>{{Cite web|access-date=January 24, 2024|title=GED Classes|website=GED Testing Service|url=https://www.ged.com/study/ged_classes}}</ref> Testing centers are most often in [[Adult education|adult-education]] centers, [[community college]]s, and [[public education|public schools]].{{cn|date=January 2025}} Students in [[metropolitan area]]s may be able to choose from several testing locations.

Official GED Testing Centers are controlled environments. All testing sessions take place either in person or online according to specific rules, and security measures are enforced. Breaks may be permitted between tests, depending on how many tests are being administered in a session.{{cn|date=January 2025}} There may be restrictions on what test-takers may bring into the testing room.<ref>[http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/test-fraud "Can I take the test online?"], [yes the test can be taken online], Retrieved April 10, 2018.</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 8, 2020|title=Introducing the Official Online GED Test|url=https://ged.com/blog/introducing-the-official-online-ged-test/|access-date=September 7, 2021}}</ref>

There are approximately three to six GED test forms in circulation at any time.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} This helps catch test-takers who may be [[cheating]]. As with any [[standardized test]], the various test forms are calibrated to the same level of difficulty.

The GED has also been administered online since January 2020, but some states (Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Wyoming) do not recognize the GED earned this way.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

===Eligibility===
Regulations governing who is eligible to take the GED vary by state. According to GED Testing Service policy, students at least 16 years old and not enrolled in high school are eligible for the program.<ref>{{cite web|title=MyGED FAQs|url=http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/mygedfaqs?_ga=1.164209791.1923075082.1461258385#TEST|publisher=GED Testing Service|access-date=21 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428055909/http://www.gedtestingservice.com/testers/mygedfaqs?_ga=1.164209791.1923075082.1461258385#TEST|archive-date=2016-04-28|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=High School Equivalency (GED-HiSET-TASC)|url=http://mycareertools.com/general-educational-development/|publisher=MyCareerTools|access-date=21 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915133504/http://mycareertools.com/general-educational-development/|archive-date=2016-09-15|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marlita.Johnson@ged.com |date=2019-08-12 |title=What Is a GED?丨GED.com |url=https://www.ged.com/blog/what-is-a-ged/ |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=GED |language=en-US}}</ref> However, many states require the candidate to be 17 years old and a resident of the state. Some states that allow students under 17 years of age to take the test require a letter of parental consent and a letter of consent from the student's school district.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} In South Africa and Namibia, students who are at least 17 years old are eligible.

===Cost===
The cost of the GED test for test-takers varies depending on the state. {{As of|2014}}, costs in Maryland were $45, free in New York, but the typical fees are $120 for all four tests, or $30 for each of the four subject tests. There is an additional fee to take the test online, typically $6 per test.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://ged.com/policies/maryland/ | title = Getting Your GED in Maryland | work = GED Testing Service | publisher = GED Testing Service LLC | access-date = 2023-04-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/2014-faqs | title = Programs and Services: FAQs | work = GED Testing Service | publisher = GED Testing Service LLC | year = 2015 | access-date = August 7, 2016 | quotation = The cost of the 2014 GED® test will remain at $120 per test battery administration….}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} The cost of each test outside of the U.S. is $80 each.{{cn|date=April 2023}}

In Canada the testing is free in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Northwest Territories. For the remaining provinces and territories the price varies between $6 per test in Newfoundland and Labrador to $40 per test in Alberta.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 December 2022 |title=GED Testing Service – Price & Province Rules |url=https://ged.com/en-ca/about_test/price_and_province_rules/?lang=en-ca |access-date=19 December 2022 |website=GED Testing Service}}</ref>

===Students with disabilities===
People with disabilities who want to take the GED test may be entitled to receive reasonable testing accommodations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ged.com/about_test/accommodations/|title=Accommodations}}</ref> If a qualified professional has documented the disability, the candidate should get the appropriate form from the Testing Center:
* [[disability|Physical disability]] and [[chronic illness|chronic-health]] disability (such as [[blindness]], low vision, hearing impairment, and mobility impairment): "Request for Testing Accommodations—Physical/Chronic Health Disability" form
* [[learning disability|Learning or cognitive disability]] (such as [[dyslexia]], [[dyscalculia]], receptive [[aphasia]], and written-language disorder): "Request for Testing Accommodations—Learning and Other Cognitive Disabilities" form
* [[emotional and behavioral disorders|Emotional]] or [[Mental health|mental-health]] disorder (such as [[bipolar disorder]], [[Tourette's syndrome]], and [[schizophrenia]]): "Request for Testing Accommodations—Emotional/Mental health" form
* [[Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder]] (inattentive type, hyperactive–impulse type, or combined type): "Request for Testing Accommodations—Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder" form

The candidate returns the completed form to the GED testing center. Each request is considered individually. If accommodations are approved, the local GED testing examiner conducts the testing with the approved accommodations, which are provided at no extra charge.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} Accommodations may include, but are not limited to:{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}
* [[Compact Cassette|Audio cassette]] tests
* [[Braille]] or large-print tests
* Vision-enhancing technologies
* Use of video equipment
* Use of a talking calculator or abacus
* Use of a [[sign language interpreter]]
* Use of a scribe (a person who writes down the test-taker's answers)
* Extended testing time

==Passing the GED testing battery==
Possible scores on each test (4) within the GED battery range from a minimum of 100 to a maximum of 200.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/2014test|title=GED®: Get Your GED – Classes, Online Practice Test, Study Guides, More|website=GED}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2023}} A score of 200 on an individual test puts the student in the top 1% of graduating high school seniors. ACE issues recommendations for what constitutes a minimum passing score for any given sub-test (currently 145) and for the test as a whole (currently 580—i.e., an average of 145 per test across all four sub-tests). Although most GED-issuing jurisdictions (for the most part, Boards of Education of U.S. states) adopt these minimum standards as their own, a jurisdiction may choose to establish higher standards for issuance of the certificate. Many jurisdictions award [[honors student|honors]]-level equivalency diplomas to students who meet certain criteria higher than those for a standard diploma in a given jurisdiction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/honors-ged-3192.html|title=What Is an Honors GED?|website=Everyday Life – Global Post|access-date=2016-03-19}}</ref> Some districts hold [[graduation]] ceremonies for GED tests passers and/or award [[scholarship]]s to the highest scorers. The GED test pass rate for all takers is almost 60%.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Colleges that admit based upon high school grades may require a minimum score on the GED test in order to admit students based upon the test. For example, [[Arizona State University]] requires an average sub-test score of {{clarify|text=500|reason=if subtests have scores between 100 and 200 as stated in the previous paragraph, how is this possible?|date=April 2023}} in addition to the certificate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mesacc.edu/students/testing/ged.html|title=Testing Services – Mesa Community College|website=mesacc.edu}}</ref>

If a student passes one or more, but not all four, tests within the battery, he or she only needs to retake the test(s) not passed. Most places limit the number of times students may take each individual test within a year.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} A student may encounter a waiting period before being allowed to retake a failed test.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} Tests must be completed by the expiration date, which is generally every two years on the last day of the year.{{clarify|date=April 2023}}{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

The GED test is available in many countries around the world. Since 2015, the GED test has become popular in African countries including South Africa and Namibia.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Many government institutions and universities regard the GED test credential as the same as a high school diploma with respect to program eligibility and as a prerequisite for admissions. The [[U.S. military]], however, has higher requirements in admissions for GED test takers to compensate for their lack of a traditional high school diploma.<ref name=Military>{{cite web|url=http://www.us-army-info.com/pages/enlist.html#ged |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040413004115/http://us-army-info.com/pages/enlist.html#ged |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 13, 2004 |title=Joining the Army |access-date=September 15, 2009 }}</ref> 

The test is administered to a representative sample of graduating high-school seniors each year, about 30% of whom fail the test.<ref>Martz, Geoff. "Cracking the GED: 2002 Edition" (2001). pg 7. New York: Princeton Review Publishing, L.L.C. {{ISBN|0-375-76193-4}}</ref>

==Effects on employability==
The GED certification itself (i.e., without further post-secondary education or training) does not help people get jobs as much as a high school diploma does.<ref name=CH93>{{cite journal |author=Cameron, Stephen V and James J. Heckman |s2cid=154901876 |title=The Nonequivalence of High School Equivalents |journal=Journal of Labor Economics |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1–47 |year=1993|doi=10.1086/298316 |url=http://www.nber.org/papers/w3804.pdf }}</ref> People who have earned the GED credential tend to earn more than dropouts and less than high school graduates. Economist [[James Heckman]] found in a 1993 study that this is primarily due to differences in the characteristics and backgrounds of GED test graduates. When controlling for other influences, he finds no evidence that, for the average taker, the GED test credential improves an individual's economic opportunities above those for other dropouts.<ref name="CH93"/>

<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chandler|first1=Michael Alison|title=Should GED lead to a diploma? District considers changing policy to help outcomes|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/should-ged-lead-to-a-diploma-district-considers-changing-policy-to-help-outcomes/2015/01/31/d339167c-a7d2-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html|access-date=16 January 2018|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=31 January 2015|quote=...Advocates say that offering the students a diploma, as Maryland and 12 other states do, would wipe clean a stigma that makes it harder for GED graduates to get a job or pursue higher education.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Chen|first1=Michelle|title=The GED Is Getting Tougher for Students Who Need it Most|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/ged-getting-tougher-students-who-need-it-most/|access-date=16 January 2018|work=[[The Nation]]|date=5 May 2014|quote=The GED carries a stigma of mediocrity and may put people at a disadvantage when competing for jobs against full-fledged high school graduates.|archive-date=17 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117070645/https://www.thenation.com/article/ged-getting-tougher-students-who-need-it-most/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Calls for abolition ==
There are calls for the GED to be abolished. Those who support abolishing the GED say the program reduces high school graduation rates,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Heckman|first1=James J.|last2=LaFontaine|first2=Paul A.|last3=Rodriguez|first3=Pedro L.|title=Taking The Easy Way Out: How The GED Testing Program Induces Students To Drop Out|journal=Journal of Labor Economics|citeseerx=10.1.1.378.8881|year=2008|volume=30|issue=3|pages=495–520|doi=10.1086/664924|pmid=24634564|pmc=3950965}}</ref> is outmoded, and a financial burden for low-income participants.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Schlueter|first1=John|title=To Get More College-Ready Students, Drop the GED|url=https://www.chronicle.com/article/To-Get-More-College-Ready/230819|journal=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]|access-date=16 January 2018|date=10 June 2015}}</ref>

As of May 3, 2024, the General Education Development (GED) high school equivalency program is no longer available in Canada and is now replaced with the new Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ged.com/en-ca | title=Home }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[HiSET]]
*[[Test Assessing Secondary Completion|TASC]]
*[[CHSPE]], a similar California standardized test aimed at high school students
* [[HSED]], a credential issued in Wisconsin that utilizes two additional testing batteries
* [[Adult high school]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web|author=Shankar Vedantam|title=What's Not On The Test: The Overlooked Factors That Determine Success|publisher=[[NPR]]|format=Audio Podcast with Transcript|date=13 May 2019|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/05/09/721733303/whats-not-on-the-test-the-overlooked-factors-that-determine-success}}
* ''GED Technical Manual, 2nd Edition.'' (1998). Washington, DC: GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education.
* Northcutt, Ellen ''et al''. ''Steck-Vaughn Complete GED Preparation'' (2002). Austin: Steck-Vaughn Company. {{ISBN|0-7398-2837-1}}
* Rockowitz, Murray ''et al''. ''Barron's How to Prepare for the GED High School Equivalency Exam'' (2004). New York: [[Barron's Educational Series]], Inc. {{ISBN|0-7641-2603-2}}
* Mitchell, Robert. ''McGraw-Hill's GED: Science'' (2003). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. {{ISBN|0-07-140704-9}}
* Larry Elowitz ''et al''. ''GED Success: 2003'' (2003). Lawrenceville, New Jersey: Peterson's. {{ISBN|0-7689-0906-6}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://ged.com/}}
*[http://www.ged.org.za/ Official African website]

[[Category:Secondary education in Canada]]
[[Category:Secondary education in the United States]]
[[Category:School qualifications]]
[[Category:School systems]]
[[Category:Standardized tests in the United States]]
[[Category:1942 introductions]]
[[Category:Education in South Africa]]