What is the HSE Exam?

New York State selected the General Educational Development Test (GED® Test) to replace the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™ Test) as the primary pathway to a New York State High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma, effective January 2022. 

The GED Test is a secure, reliable, and valid instrument that is used to verify that examinees have knowledge in core content areas equivalent to that of graduating high school seniors. There are four subject tests in the GED Test battery: Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA); Social Studies; Science; and Mathematical Reasoning. The GED RLA includes both reading and writing. If a test taker previously passed either the TASC Writing or TASC Reading subtest, but not both, they will need to take the RLA.

For information about the GED Test and to register and create a GED account, go to GED homepage. Test takers over age 19, who would like to take the GED using a computer, can also schedule their subject tests directly through the ged.com

Upon completing each subject test, a test taker’s unofficial scores will be available for viewing in their GED account. GED scores are transferred electronically every day to the NYS Education Department. The NYSED HSE Office processes and mails the HSE diplomas, which takes about 8-10 weeks after a test taker has successfully completed and passed all subject tests.