The GED Testing Service, which offers the General Educational Development test in 40 states, reports about a 60 percent passing rate for students taking all four sections of its new computer-based test, down from about 65 percent in a typical year. At the same time, far fewer students took the test.
The new GED, launched in January 2014, was designed to be more challenging, with questions that focus on critical thinking and better reflect new standards for career and college readiness.
About 248,000 students took the new ged last year, according to preliminary data. In the past few years, test-taking volume has hovered around 700,000 to 750,000.
