Talk:General Educational Development

message: FYI, I believe the test was originally conceived as a way for G.I.'s to catch up and get a high school degree. I also remember reading something two years ago to the effect that the test had gone through a re-organization in response to the "too easy" criticism. --Feitclub 16:38, Sep 25, 2004 (UTC)
:Test was revised in 2002, and I've just written about that.  The test was designed for G.I.'s during the '40s (I want to say '47), but I'm too worn out from writing all that I just did to add a history section in right now.  I will start working on it, however.  :)  Beginning 07:32, Jan 3, 2005 (UTC)
I'm pretty sure that the "Official Website" listed on this page is a company providing a testing service that has nothing to do with creating or administering the actual GED.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.22.4.138 (talk) 18:36, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Comment 

message: The section "Criticism of the GED" is full of vague attributions. "Some" are said to think this, and "some" to think that. Comments about the value of the GED, positive or nagative, should be attributed to specific individuals or organizatiosn, and sources for thsoe views cited, if at all possible. DES (talk) 21:37, 21 November 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed I put up a weasel words tag for that very reason.  SirGrant 16:37, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  criticism section needs to be more specific 

message: So does a GED equal a high school diploma? So insted of finishing high school you can just pass this easy test and leave school after say 10th or 11th grade?--BorisFromStockdale 05:20, 14 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Contrary to popular belief, the GED test is not an easy test.  It is actually harder than high school, and high school standardized tests in most states, and most high school graduates couldn't even pass the test.  However, it is generally not as good as having passed high school with high grades in AP classes. (What is required to get into Ivy League colleges, but in other colleges would simply allow you to skip a few courses).  The problem comes that many people don't realize this, and thus they don't respect a person with a GED.  Much like people who disrespect a college dropout with some coursework completed, when compared to someone who never attended college.--Robert Wm "Ruedii" (talk) 00:01, 5 July 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Diploma

message: Isn't it General Equivalency Diploma? Andre (talk) 23:31, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This is actually true, though I was given a higher number by the person lecturing us in the Adult Education centre of my school.  They stated that the graduation tests in High School, requires a minimum of a 10th grade comprehension to pass.  The GED requires a minimum of an 11th Grader to pass. (The number I got was %80 of student who passed the graduation test failed the GED the first time round, but the test may be state depenent. KyprosNighthawk (talk) 20:30, 30 June 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  GED stands for... 

message: I have my GED and can't find information on this anywhere, but is it possible for me to go back and get a diploma from an adult learning center (for HS) or am I stuck with this GED now?
Why would you want too? - shorelinetrance
:Why try and get a high school diploma when you basically already have one?70.23.194.204 01:11, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: While I'm not 100% positive, I'm pretty sure that you cannot get a HS diploma after getting a GED, seeing as they are for all intents and purposes the same thing.  You aren't 'stuck' with it though, just do 2 years of college and get an associate's degree and no one will care that you got a GED, it supersedes it entirely.  Not only that, you'll then be of a higher degree than a HS diploma.  AnotherSchmoe (talk) 23:46, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  GEDs 

message: American GEDs represent what you would've learned in an American public high school, which isn't much. Thus explaining why it's "too easy".
I do not know who wrote the previous paragraph, but I would ask for his
citations. I went to school, so I cannot claim any personal experience
with the GED, but right now I am tutoring a home-schooled artist-type
who needs his GED to go to an art program in Florida. We're using
a Barron's GED book, which if the SAT books are any indication, should
be harder than the actual test. I covered the entire math section in 38
hours over the course of a month and a half. Based on what was in that
book, I would be very disappointed if there were a freshman from my high
school who could not pass this test. In September. 
Mind you, the suburbs of New Jersey are pretty good in terms of public
education, and I like to think that my school is a little better than
average (don't we all?), but even so I am not ready to believe that
around where I live, eighth graders are smart enough to pass high school
math.
Of course, the Barron's book I'm using never mentions any calculus,
which according to this wikipedia article is part of the math section,
so maybe I'm just woefully ignorant and being snooty about it. 0702034.
:I also disagree with the "too easy" labels.  Sure, it's easy for anyone with half a brain and anyone that applies themselves, studies, and focuses during the test.  But it's not meant to be passable only by the very best high school graduates, it's meant to show that you are at least on par with the *average* high school graduate (let's not kid ourselves, there are plenty of idiots walking around with high school diplomas).  Keep in mind that anyone can skate through high school with C's and D's and still pass, so I'd say it's no easier *to pass* than most public high schools.  People should also keep in mind that 30% of high school graduates tested completely failed the GED on their first attempt, you only need roughly 55% of the questions correct to pass, so what does that tell you about the educational level of high school graduates?  In conclusion, people shouldn't call the GED test 'too easy' / 'too hard' etc.  as it's meant to represent the *average* high school graduate.  If one feels the need to gripe about things being too easy, they should gripe equally so at the low standards of public high schools, rather than focus all of their attention on the GED, especially seeing as the GED passing scores are determined by the high school graduates themselves.  Just food for thought.  AnotherSchmoe (talk) 23:57, 2 June 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Too easy? 

message: The section on famous people who've received GEDs should contain sources, or it may violate WP:BLP
Has Brittney Spears received her GED yet? I thought she was still studying for it.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.116.5.63 (talk) 00:13, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Recipients

message: Just changing the section's name from "Trivia" to "Popular culture" is insufficient.  This trivia section must be removed and integrated into the rest of the article.  --KJRehberg (talk) 17:52, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, I think the Crofwell/Copy story is a little far fetched, myself, and blown all out of proportion.  I think that college level GED testing should be brought back because of this.--76.212.151.50 (talk) 10:38, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Trivia must be removed, not renamed to "Popular culture" 

message: For example, a typical mathematics question will not ask what the second leg of a right-angled triangle is when the lengths of the first leg and the hypotenuse are given, but instead will ask for the formula that should be used to find the correct answer; this requires the student not only to know the correct answer, but also to explain how to find it; it also uses both algebra and geometry, as opposed to just one discipline of mathematics.
That would not require the student to know the correct answer. Knowing the formula and applying the formula are completely different concepts. It may be argued that a student who knows the formula can trivially determine the requested length, but it is certainly not necessary that they have done so in order for them to know the formula by which to arrive at it. Further, knowing the formula requires neither algebra nor geometry knowledge; it merely requires that one has memorized the formula and a description about what it is supposed to do. The above statement is therefore conceptually erroneous. --70.131.82.165 (talk) 22:49, 15 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Faulty reasoning 

message: In the History section, the second paragraph starts: "ACE revised the GED Tests for a third time in 1988."  That's a little confusing, as there's no mention of the first or second revisions. -- NixonB (talk) 13:33, 4 May 2009 (UTC)
thread_title: Missing history?

message: Any persons who hold Bachelor, Master or Doctorate degrees CANNOT take GED tests even though these persons dropped out of high school and did not earn high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate.
I had Secondary School Graduation Diploma from Sir James Whitney School for the deaf in Belleville, Ontario on June 13, 1985 and suddenly lost this diploma as result of someone accidentally destroyed my ENTIRE school file includes my official transcript on April 4, 1996.
I am deaf and autism spectrum disorder man and was offered PhD in Computer Science by Ministry of Education through correspondence from resume consultant. I wrote PhD comprehensive examination at University of Ottawa and was able to pass that exam. I am exempted from write PhD dissertation because I have autism spectrum disorder prevented me from properly write the dissertation. I got direct PhD degree by honorary and courage in December 2008!!!!!
Since I have PhD degree in my possession, I cannot take GED tests anymore for life. Fortunately, I can use PhD degree as high school diploma for the employment that requires high school diploma. I can also use PhD degree as Bachelor and Master degrees in Computer Information Systems as well.
Danielcg (talk) 07:26, 6 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Even if this were true (and it's not, because the test giver has no idea whether you've gotten other degrees), an honorary degree would have no such effect.  Honorary degrees are not counted the same as a properly earned degree for which the applicant met every requirement.  WhatamIdoing (talk) 22:15, 6 August 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  I agreed with you but however, in Ontario, there is NO honorary PhD degree given without showing knowledge or skill. That rule prevented honorary exploitation. Universities can waive the requirements but CANNOT waive the requirements for comprehensive examination and PhD dissertation. They are MANDATORY requirements for all honorary students so they have to show their knowledge as well as contributions to University or Society. If anyone fail comprehensive examination (No matter what medical conditions or honors) or PhD dissertation (unless of course, medical condition prevent this) then that person CANNOT receive honorary PhD degree. This special rule is designed to prevent "Honorary Exploitation". As I have passed comprehensive examination, I am considered be SHOWING my PhD knowledge to University and Society. If University offer me "Special" Dissertation for autism spectrum disorder, I would have done PhD dissertation fairly easily, though it take me couple months to complete. Danielcg (talk) 04:12, 7 August 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Higher Education Degree holders cannot take GED tests. 

message: This is puzzling: "To pass the GED Tests and earn a GED credential, test takers must score higher than 60 percent of graduating high school seniors nationwide." Do most graduating senior take the GED? How would anybody know what percentage can pass?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.220.135.34 (talk) 22:51, 27 September 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Very good question. 68.55.112.31 (talk) 01:20, 18 April 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Passing 

message: To avoid the usual Wiki talk page speculation and general bull%#@!, could someone who actually administers and/or scores the GED exam please tell us how they check an examinee's background for a high school diploma or other degree which should disqualify one from taking the GED test? Please convince us of your credibility by explaining your expertise on this matter. Thanks.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.58.246.49 (talk) 01:48, 17 November 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Background check for HS diploma 

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thread_title: File:PictureofGED.jpg Nominated for speedy Deletion

message: Can you take it while still a minor?  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Lenosy (talk • contribs) 15:53, 29 November 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  What is the minimum age needed to take the GED? 

message: I submitted a major edit to the article about the GED. I have citations and will add them later. Still learning how to do all this and I ran out of time for tonight. 
I will also be adding other information and responding to some requests on the discussion page. 
--Planetgazer 06:23, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Regarding: Major edit to describe pending changes in GED tests. Have citations -- will add ASAP. 

message: how hard are the questions on the test? 68.55.112.31 (talk) 01:20, 18 April 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Level of difficulty?

message: "GED" is being redirected to "General Educational Development."  This is incorrect and the page should link directly to "GED."  
The GED® battery of tests were initially known as the “tests of general educational development,” a term coined by ACE in the 1940’s.  However, the GED® branded test option has become so popular that there is widespread misuse of the term.  GED® does not mean “General Educational Development,” “general equivalency degree” “graduate equivalency degree,” “general equivalency diploma” or “graduate equivalency diploma.”  The GED® mark is a branded term owned by the American Council on Education for a proprietary battery of tests.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.182.1.4 (talk • contribs) 21:16, 14 January 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Requested move 

message: Audio cassette tests? Do they exist outside a museum? Francis Hannaway (talk) 18:02, 15 September 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Audio cassette tests? 

message: Ok, I've heard GED used for decades now, and I've never heard the expansion as "General Educational Development".  I'll take it as a given that that expansion is accurate as of now, but I've always heard expansions in the vein of "Graduate Equivalency Degree", "Graduate Equivalency Diploma" or "General Equivalency Diploma".  What's more, these terms return plenty of hits on Google search.  So why isn't any of this other terminology listed in the article?  It's confusing to not find any mention of these terms in the article.  Can these alternate names be integrated into the article as per typical good practice?  I'm not suggesting giving them undue weight, but having only a single expansion in the lead feels dismissive and POV, giving undue weight to that one expansion.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.32.217.164 (talk) 00:28, 19 August 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  General Educational Development? 

message: The line at the end of section 4 (Effects on Employability) that references Heckman's research is a gross misrepresentation of his findings. The general tone of Heckman (and coauthors)'s writings is incredibly skeptical of the value of the GED, and largely suggests that it does far harm than good. Even the source quoted in this article states "His [Heckman's] work has shown that GED recipients earn less than other high school dropouts with similar ability levels," a statement that squares with his more recent book The Myth of Achievement Tests.
I'm not personally tied to the value of a GED one way or the other, but including Heckman's research in this article in tacit support of the value of the program throws the entire piece's credibility into serious question. If nothing else, I'd advocate removing that statement entirely, though adding a criticism section with many of his writings as a base may be a more valuable change.
136.167.9.178 (talk) 14:26, 28 August 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Mischaracterization of Heckman's Research 

message: (I apologise in advance for any mistakes here; I haven't done much on Wikipedia.)
I appreciate that this is pedantic and trivial, but:
How is 'GED' pronounced? (I have no clue: I'm from the UK.)
The second paragraph says:
"... which owns the GED trademark, coined the initialism to identify "tests of general..."
If it's pronounced "G, E, D" then 'initialism' as used here is correct.
If it's pronounced "GED" (ie as a word) then it should be 'acronym'.
--Pendant (talk) 13:34, 18 January 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: It's an initialism. 2013creek (talk) 20:02, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Is 'GED' an initialism or an acronym? 

message: Hi 
This is Reza Akrami from afghanistan 
Current living in texas USA .
and Am intresting to have more information about this amazing program . 162.246.212.62 (talk) 05:48, 22 November 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Applying for a job 

message: " requires an average sub-test score of 500[clarification needed] in addition to the certificate" -- How does this square with an earlier statement that each [sub]test has a range of 100 to 200? Kdammers (talk) 14:53, 20 August 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Numbers 

message: I feel like this article is about two separate things:
1.) The General Educational Development test operated by Pearson, and
2.) Certificates of high school equivalency.
Certificates of high school equivalencies are documents produced by U.S. state, Canadian provincial, and perhaps other governments attesting that someone has passed a test showing high school equivalency. The main test is, of course, the GED, but as the article itself states, it isn't the only one. 2013creek (talk) 20:02, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  The article should be renamed or preferably split