The California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) was an early exit testing program established under California law (California Education Code Section 48412). Testers who passed the CHSPE received a high school equivalency (HSE) diploma granted by the California State Board of Education, the Certificate of Proficiency.

All individuals and institutions subject to California law that require a high school diploma are required to accept the Certificate of Proficiency as equal to one. However, it is not equivalent to completion of coursework required to graduate high school. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has ruled it acceptable in federal civilian employment applications, and the U.S. Department of Education recognizes the CHSPE as a high school diploma equivalent for various purposes, including financial aid applications. The University of California system accepts the Certificate of Proficiency awarded by the State Board of Education upon successful completion of CHSPE.

In 2023, the exam program was discontinued and replaced by the California Proficiency Program. This was due to the SAT10, the examination the CHSPE was based on, becoming obsolete and the new CPP being administered by the HiSET and GED.

While current enrollment in school was not required, testers had to be at least 16 years old or enrolled in at least two semesters of the 10th grade. Students enrolled in schools outside of California could not register until they were sixteen years of age. Testers had to pay a fee of $230 (2021-2022) by the regular registration deadline or more if late, and sit during one or more of the three (two in 2022) exam dates offered a year.

The exam tested individuals based on the high school curriculum in California using a format similar to that of the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT10). Those who had previously taken the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), required of all high school students to graduate in California, found the CHSPE similar in format, but longer in length and with more difficult, rigorous questions.

The CHSPE tests included mathematics and English-Language Arts (reading and writing). The English-Language Arts section included grammar and vocabulary questions, and also asked the examinee to write an essay. The math section assessed students on geometry, algebra, and pre-algebra. Testers had three and a half hours to complete the exam and were free to divide their time as they wished between the two sections.

The CHSPE mathematics section had 50 multiple-choice questions broken into 4 content clusters: number sense and operations; patterns, relationships, and algebra; data, statistics, and probability; and geometry and measurement. Testers had to score at least 350 within a range of 250–450 to pass the math section.

The CHSPE English-language arts section had two subtests of reading and language (writing).