The HiSET, (GED (General Educational Development),-and T.AS.C.(Test Assessing Secondary Completion) exams provide an opportunity for adults who did not graduate from high school to show that they have the same level of knowledge and skills as 60 percent of graduating high school seniors. If you pass the exam, you will receive a high school equivalency diploma that can be used to apply for post-secondary study or entry-level employment in a variety of fields.
Over 98 percent of colleges and universities accept the HSE for admission and 96 percent of employers accept it for those positions requiring a high school-level education. An HSE certificate can also be used to gain entry into the military. (American Council of Education (ACE)) More than 17 million people have earned their HSE since 1942.
California requirements for the HSE
- To take the exam in California, you must be a resident of the state.
- There is no wait period to retake the test should you fail.
- Those who pass the exam will be awarded a California High School Equivalency Certificate.
- Minimum score requirements are 410 on each subject test and 2250 on the full test battery.
- Test-takers must complete the exam within the timeframe provided for each section of the exam.
- Retest fees approximately $25 per subject area test retaken. Candidates may retake the test in the failed subject before completing the entire exam.
- The exam is offered in English, Spanish and French.
The HSE exams are composed of five subject tests
- Mathematics
- Language arts, reading
- Language arts, writing, parts I & II (essay)
- Science
- Social studies
Test Scores
- The test score provides an indication of a test-takers academic knowledge in each of the above-noted subject areas as compared to that of recent high school graduates. Performance on each of the five subject area tests is scored in two ways: as a "standard score" ranging from 200 to 800 on each subject area test and as a " percentile rank" in the range of 1 to 99.
- The standard score is based on the number of questions you answered correctly. Every question is worth one point if answered correctly and zero points if answered incorrectly. The Language Arts Writing test is based on a combination of scores from Part 1 (multiple choices) and Part 2 (essay component).
- The percentile rank indicates the percentage of graduating seniors who earned scores below yours. For example, if your test score is 600 on the social studies subject test with a percentile rank of 50, this means that 50 percent of graduating high school seniors earned a score below 600.
- The pass rates allow test-takers to make up for one area of weakness by strong performance in another; e.g. a lower score in science may be made up for by a high score in social studies and result in an overall passing score.
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