General Education Development (GED) Certificate

If you don’t finish high school but still want a high school diploma, you should look into the options your school district and local community have for finishing high school. You can enroll in public schools until you turn 21. If you don’t want to attend a traditional high school, your school district or local charter schools may offer alternative programs, including online learning. If you don’t want a high school diploma, then you should think about getting a GED certificate. If you are struggling in school, you will probably need to take a lot of classes and study hard to prepare to take the GED test.

The GED certificate shows that you have learned the skills that would have allowed you to graduate from high school. Most employers and many colleges view a GED certificate the same as a high school diploma. People who do not have their GED certificate or high school diploma usually have a harder time finding a job and get paid less than people who have a GED or high school diploma.

Registration and Costs

The GED exam is offered at many places all around Texas and is also available to take online. You need to make sure you register only at an official GED testing center. There are many dishonest companies pretending to be official test centers, so only choose a testing center listed on the www.ged.com website or register to take an online exam through that website. Test fees are different for each location. Once you choose a testing center, you should ask the center for an application and ask about their fees. To get help paying for GED classes or testing, talk to your PAL staff, transition center staff, transition support case manager, caseworker, Texas Workforce Commission staff, or your regional education specialist. You should check with the place where you will take the test to see what identification and other things you will need to bring when you take the test.

To find more information about testing centers or taking the exam online, visit: www.ged.com.

Taking the GED When You are 16 or 17

If you are 16 or 17, you can ask permission from CPS to take the GED. Your caseworker will have to submit a request for you to take the GED to the regional education specialist for approval and will have to explain why taking the GED is better for you than getting your high school diploma.

Test Preparation

As with any test, you should study before taking the GED exam. Talk with your PAL staff, transition center staff, transition support case manager, caseworker, the local Texas Workforce Commission office, or your regional education specialist about local programs that provide help in preparing for GED tests.