General Educational Development

The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four academic subject tests in the United States and 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., 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 as of 2023^[update] does not refer to the test as anything but "GED". It is called the GED in the majority of the United States, and internationally. In 2014, some states in the United States switched from GED to the HiSET and TASC (discontinued December 31, 2021).

The GED Testing Service is a joint venture of the American Council on 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.^{[better source needed]}

In addition to English, the GED tests are available in Spanish in several states (e.g. California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Nevada, Texas).^{[better source needed]} 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.^{[better source needed]} Utah's Adult High School Completion program is an alternative for people who prefer to earn a diploma.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[better source needed]} 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.^{[better source needed]} 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%).^{[better source needed]}

A fourth revision was made in 2002 to make the test comply with more recent standards for high-school education.^{[better source needed]}

A fifth revision was released on January 2, 2014,^{[better source needed]} 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."^{[better source needed]}