TASC Replacing the GED® Test in New York State

Big changes are here!
There have always been several paths to the High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma in New York State.  The most common was the GED® Test. The version of the GED® test used nationally up to now was created in 2002.  As of January 1, 2014, a new, computer-based, Common Core-aligned GED® test has replaced the 2002 GED® paper-based test.

Every state has had to decide what test(s) they will accept as paths to their own HSE Diploma. Due to the dramatic nature of the changes to the GED® test, New York State has elected to replace the GED® test with the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) from CTB/McGraw Hill. 

What is the Same

  • The TASC is offered free of charge to the test taker (as was the 2002 GED® Test)
  • The TASC is offered at the same test centers as the 2002 GED® Test 
  • Preparation courses for the TASC are offered by the same state and city funded prep programs that offered GED prep classes
  • You may be able to use up to four sections of the 2002 GED® Test to help you pass the TASC.  You still need to take the entire TASC, but if you fail sections of the TASC that you passed on the 2002 GED®, those GED® sections can be brought over to your TASC score. For more information go to http://www.acces.nysed.gov/ged/
  • The TASC is a rigorous test that takes between seven and eight hours to complete, similar to the 2002 GED® Test 
  • If you have a proven learning disability you can apply for accommodations
  • Once you take the TASC you must wait 60 days before you take it again
  • The first time you take the TASC you must take all sections
  • After the first time you take the TASC, on any future TASC test dates you register for, you can opt to take only the sections you failed 

What is Different

  • The TASC is offered as a paper based test or as a computer based test
  • The TASC is Common Core aligned and will probably be more difficult to pass than the 2002 GED® Test
  • An online TASC Readiness test is available for you to take through a TASC Preparation Program or TASC Test Site. The TASC Readiness test costs $10 which may be a fee you will have to pay or may be covered by the TASC Test Site or TASC Preparation Program that provides the TASC Readiness test 
  • You can take the TASC three times in a calendar year

Beware of Scams

  • Starting January 1, 2014, you cannot take the 2014 GED® Test in New York State and if you take it in another state, your HSE Diploma will come from that state. If someone offers you the opportunity to take the GED® Test in NYC, it's a scam!
  • The TASC is offered as a computer based test, but it is not available through the internet. You must register at a New York State Education Department sanctioned test site to take the test and you will have to come to a specific location to take the TASC. If someone offers you a chance to take the TASC online at your home, it's a scam!
  • You should not have to pay to take the TASC.  If someone charges you money to take the TASC, it's a scam!
  • Report scams on our Facebook page.
The New HSE Test: Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC)
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