The GED, or General Education Development Test, is a test that certifies the taker has attained US or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is taken by individuals who did not earn a high school diploma. Common reasons for GED recipients not having received a high school diploma include immigration to the United States, homeschooling, and leaving high school early due to a lack of interest or the inability to pass required tests.People who left high school without graduating often find that that employers and post-secondary institutions will not accept them. Since adults often cannot or will not return to high school, the GED allows them to demonstrate the skills they would have learned in high school. The test consists of questions in mathematics, English, social studies, and science that are meant to test the knowledge of the test taker. To pass the GED, the test taker must perform in the 40th percentile of high school seniors nationwide.
For most purposes, a GED is the same as a high school diploma. However, it is thought by some that the test is easier than it should be, and it is looked down upon by some employers as a lower form of degree than an actual high school diploma. Supporters argue that the 70% rate of incompletion on the first try at taking the test shows that it is harder than commonly believed.
Most state colleges and numerous private ones will accept GED graduates, though they will typically require them to take the SATs and/or ACT, as well as submit extra letters of recommendation in addition to the standard number already required of applicants. If a 4-year college will not accept a GED graduate, they can attend any community college in the United States.
1 Famous GED recipients
- Ben Nighthorse Campbell, U.S. Senator from Colorado
- Michael ChangMichael Te Pei Chang (; Pinyin: Zhng Depei; born February 22, 1972) is an American professional tennis player who reached the top 10 world rankings and best known for winning the French Open in 1989. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey to Joe and Betty (, nee Tun, professional tennisTennis is a racquet sport played between either two players ("singles") or two teams of two players ("doubles"). It is officially called lawn tennis to distinguish it from real tennis (also known as royal tennis or court tennis , an older form of the game player
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- D.L. Hughley, actor and comedian
- Ruth Ann MinnerRuth Ann Minner (born January 17, 1935) is an American politician and the current governor of Delaware. Minner, a Democrat who has served since 2001, is Delaware's first female governor. Minner was born and grew up on a small farm near Milford. While grow, governor of Delaware
- Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's Restaurant
- Christian Slater, actor
- Chris Rock, comedian
