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GED® Testing Service Research Studies

Reliability Analysis for the Internationally Administered 2002 Series GED Tests (2009) (PDF; 532KB)
A computer-based version of the GED Tests is available to international testing candidates. The purpose of this report was to examine the reliability of the test scores obtained from the computer-based version of the GED Tests. In general, the reliability of test scores (both internal consistency and classification accuracy) obtained from the computer-based GED Tests was high and the amount of precision near the minimum standard score was favorable.

Preparation for and Performance on the GED Test (2009) (PDF; 502KB) (Executive Summary—PDF; 20KB)
GED testing candidates have a number of preparation options available to them, including adult basic classes, practice tests, and self-study.  The purpose of this study was to investigate how candidates prepare for the GED Test and how those test preparation activities are related to achievement. In some states, candidates must meet certain prerequisites (such as instruction or passing a practice test) before testing. This study focuses on candidates who voluntarily took the GED Test and were able to choose freely among preparation activities.

Young GED Examinees and Their Performance on the GED Tests (2009) (PDF; 425KB) (Executive Summary—PDF; 14KB)
GED Tests offer young adults who have left school a second chance for a credential, yet educators have concerns about policies for young GED examinees and their test performance. This study provides a comprehensive picture of GED examinees between 16 and 19 years old. What are their characteristics and how do state policies on minimum age influence their test performance? Study results show that younger GED examinees needing additional documentation and approval before testing performed comparably to examinees at the states' standard minimum age. States with stricter age requirements may possibly encourage early test-takers to thoroughly prepare. In addition, the study suggests that taking and passing a practice test has a positive association with obtaining a GED credential.

The Health Literacy of U.S. Adults Across GED Credential Recipients, High School Graduates, and Non–High School Graduates (2008) (Executive Summary—PDF; 47KB)
Health literacy is important for all adults. Because lower health literacy is associated with lower educational attainment, many adult basic and literacy education programs increasingly provide health education to low-literate adults to improve their health literacy. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), this study examined the health literacy of adults across GED credential recipients, high school graduates, and non–high school graduates by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Specific populations with lower health literacy levels were identified so that adult education entities and policy makers can target these groups with more support, funding, and better programs to improve their health literacy skills.

Economic and Noneconomic Outcomes for GED Credential Recipients (2008) (Executive Summary—PDF; 37KB)
The GED Tests are widely used to certify a high school level of academic knowledge and skills. The popularity and profound influence of the GED Tests have solicited numerous studies on the outcomes of obtaining a GED credential. Most studies on labor market outcomes for GED credential recipients have targeted specific groups for comparisons across age, gender, or geographic areas. Depending on the samples used and the research methodologies applied, the studies have yielded mixed results. Furthermore, scholars have noticed a scarcity of research on the noneconomic outcomes of GED credential recipients, such as their social participation, health, and parenting skills. This study provides evidence through a recently released nationally representative sample of adults, the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), on the economic outcomes as well as the noneconomic outcomes for GED credential recipients. On the economic outcomes, this study examines labor force participation, work history, weekly wage, and personal income. On the noneconomic outcomes, this study looks into political and social participation, family literacy, and health.

The Literacy of U.S. Adults with Disabilities Across GED Credential Recipients, High School Graduates, and Non–High School Graduates (2008) (Executive Summary—PDF; 27KB)
To serve adults with disabilities without a high school diploma, the federal government and states have funded adult education and literacy programs that provide services to accommodate the needs of those adults. In addition, the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests) provide adults with disabilities with testing accommodations to minimize the impact of examinee characteristics on the assessment of academic knowledge and skills. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), this study examined the literacy level across GED credential recipients, high school graduates, and non–high school graduates. The study also provided evidence of the validity of the GED credential as an indication that adults with disabilities with a GED credential have achieved the literacy skills and knowledge equivalent to those skills and knowledge demonstrated by adults with disabilities with a high school diploma.

The Literacy of U.S. Adults with GED Credentials: 2003 NAAL and 1992 NALS (2007) (Executive Summary—PDF; 24KB)
Many adult basic education programs use the Tests of General Educational Development (GED® Tests) to measure the skills and knowledge associated with a high school program of study as well as to assess the achievement gains of adult learners through participation in their programs. Using data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), this study, The Literacy of U.S. Adults with GED Credentials: 2003 NAAL and 1992 NALS provides evidence of the validity of the GED credential as an indication of achieving the literacy skills and knowledge equivalent to those skills and knowledge demonstrated by adults with high school diplomas and aids many adult education programs in evaluating their effectiveness through adult learners' performance on the GED Tests.

Examinee and High School Senior Performance on the GED Tests (2007) (Executive Summary—PDF; 22KB)
A question often asked by adult educators, administrators, teachers, admissions officers, and employers is "How does the performance of adults who take the GED Tests and/or hold a GED Tests credential compare with the performance of graduating high school seniors?" The purpose of the analyses reported in Examinee and High School Senior Performance on the GED Tests was to compare performance on the GED Tests, U.S. edition, across three groups of examinees: (a) graduating high school seniors in the GED U.S. 2001 norm group, (b) GED Tests candidates who took one or more tests in the U.S. in 2002–2004, and (c) GED Tests candidates who passed the tests in the U.S. in 2002–2004. By comparing graduating high school seniors and GED Tests examinees, this report provides evidence of the academic value of the GED Tests credential. The results should be useful primarily to employers and admissions officers evaluating applicants who have a credential based on passing the GED Tests. Additionally, adult education administrators and teachers should find this information useful when planning and developing instructional programs for GED Tests candidates.

Differences Between Students Who Were and Were Not Retained in Grade (2007) (Executive Summary—PDF; 22KB)
Grade promotion policies regarding the low-performing students in grade schools have been increasingly under strict scrutiny and contentious debate with regard to these policies' effect on achievement, self-esteem, and the likelihood of students' dropping out of school. In an examination of the differences between students who were and were not retained in grade and who immediately pursued a GED® credential after dropping out of high school, this study, Differences Between Students Who Were and Were Not Retained in Grade, addresses how the populations of GED candidates who were and were not retained in grade differ demographically, in terms of evidence of negative-impact characteristics, reasons for pursuing a GED credential, and GED Tests performance.

Dropouts Immediately Pursuing a GED Credential (2006)
This study, Dropouts Immediately Pursuing a GED Credential, serves as a preliminary examination of how reasons for not completing school vary by institutional characteristic and presence of high-stakes exit exams. As the research on factors contributing to dropping out of school continues to develop and as research on the impact of high-stakes testing continues to grow and provide inconsistent conclusions, this study was designed to provide empirical data on a specific subset of high school dropouts: those who recently left high school and pursued a high school equivalency credential within one year.

GED Candidate Computer Familiarity Survey (2006)
As GED Testing Service (GEDTS) considers the feasibility of a computer administration of the GED Tests, one issue being considered is whether offering only a computer-based format of the GED Tests will reduce the number of candidates taking the GED Tests. In an effort to determine the level of the GED candidate population's familiarity with computers, this study, GED Candidate Computer Familiarity Survey, involved surveying a representative sample of recently tested GED candidates about their current computer comfort, use, and access. Furthermore, the survey examined whether, based on their level of computer familiarity, access, or their use, GED candidates would have preferred to test on a computer if this format had been available or if they would have opted not to test at all if the GED Tests had been offered only in a computer-based format.

An Exploration of GED Standard Score Stability: 2001 Through 2005 (2006)
The present investigation, An Exploration of GED Standard Score Stability: 2001 through 2005, was aimed at exploring the stability of the standard score distributions on the GED Tests taken by U.S. high school seniors in equating studies conducted by GED Testing Service during the span of 5 years from 2001 (the norming year) to 2005. Both the differences in the percentages of standard scores observed in one or both of the tails of each test's 2002–2005 standard score distributions from that observed during the year of norming and the variability of the performance over time on several tests warrant a renorming study.

Examining the Validity of GED Tests Scores with Scheduling and Setting Accommodations (2004)
In an effort to contribute to the research on the effect of test accommodations on test performance, the current study, Examining the Validity of GED Test Scores with Scheduling and Setting Accommodations, examines the comparability of academic achievement test performance across examinees who did not receive any test accommodation and examinees who received an accommodation. The equivalence of an academic achievement test's psychometric properties across accommodated and non-accommodated examinees will be examined through the calculation of group descriptive statistics, reliability estimates, standard errors of measurement, and differential item functioning (DIF). This study provided support that GED Tests scores in writing, reading, social studies, and science show evidence of validity under test accommodations of (a) extended time only, (b) extended time and private room only, or (c) extended time, private room, and supervised breaks only.

General Academic Achievement of Adult High School Dropouts (2002)
This study, General Academic Achievement of Adult High School Dropouts, describes demographic information and GED® Test Battery performance of adult examinees who did not complete high school. Although the majority of GED candidates take the GED Tests within two years of leaving school, this study highlights the profile and performance of candidates who for a variety of reasons waited anywhere from 24 to 54 years to attempt to obtain the GED high school equivalency credential. It is hoped that the empirical results of the academic achievement level of U.S adults over the age of 40 who have pursued a high school equivalency will provide various benefits to adult education agencies and programs that serve adult learners.

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This page last updated on 09/25/2009