Background Information about the GED

The following information comes from the GED Testing Service®, a program of the American Council on Education. Their Web site is www.gedtest.org.

The General Educational Development (GED) Testing Service develops and distributes the GED Tests. In 2008, more than 680,000 people completed the GED Test battery.

GED graduates include Bill Cosby, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner, and U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

More than 95 percent of employers in the U.S. consider GED graduates the same as traditional high school graduates in regard to hiring, salary, and opportunity for advancement.

In 2008, 776,728 people took the GED Tests. Of that number, 679,861 completed the five tests in the GED battery. Of those who completed, about 73 percent (493,490) earned the scores needed for a GED high school equivalency credential. An estimated 17.3 million adults have passed the GED and earned high school credentials since 1943.

In New Hampshire, 1,573 people passed the GED test in 2008. 82.5 percent of people who completed the test battery passed and earned the New Hampshire High School Equivalency Certificate. 51.7 percent of the New Hampshire test-takers said they plan to continue their education. 51.1 percent cited employment as one of their reasons for taking the GED.

The average GED test-taker in 2008 was 25.1 years old. More than 73 percent completed tenth grade or higher before leaving high school.