Relationship of First-Year University Grades of Non-High School Graduates with the Tests of General Educational Development

Oct 15, 2026

General Educational Development (GED) tests are widely used in the United States and across Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec, for high school equivalency certification. The five tests—English, Social Studies, Natural Sciences, Literature, and Mathematics—measure reading comprehension and general knowledge rather than specific secondary course content. Findings indicate that when admission cut-off points are set, they may be unnecessarily high, and open admission supported by remedial English and study skills may be advisable.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

GED test structure and purpose

Evidence on predictive validity for higher education

Prior research and correlation patterns

Implications for admission policies

# Relationship of First-Year University Grades of Non-High SchoolGraduates with the Tests ofGeneral Educational Development J.DOUGLAS AYERS ## ABSTRACT The Tests of General Educational Development(GED)are used extensively in the UnitedStates and in all provinces and territories in Canada except Quebec,Ontario,and Albertafor high school equivalency certification.The five tests,which include English,SocialStudies,Natural Sciences,Literature,and Mathematics,measure reading comprehensionand general knowledge in the subjects rather than specific content of secondary schoolcourses.Nevertheless,they tend to be good predictors of success in colleges and univer-sities.Where these institutions do not have an open admission policy,it is recommendedthat they determine relative cut-off points for admission to programs.Results of thisstudy indicate that where such cut-off points have been established,they may be at anunnecessarily high level;also,that an open admission policy,especially if supported byremedial English and study skills courses,may be advisable. ## RESUMÉ Les tests du Developpement Genéral Educatif(DGE)sont utilises de maniere extensiveaux Etats-Unis et dans toutes les provinces et territoires du Canada,excepte au Québec,en Ontario,et en Alberta,pour la certification dequivalence en école secondaire.Les 5tests,qui comprennent de I'anglais,des études sociales,des sciences naturelles,de lalittérature et des mathématiques,évaluent une compréhension à la lecture et une culturegénérale dans les matieres plutot que le contenu spécifique aux cours d'école secondaire.Neanmoins,ils ont tendance a bien préedire l'éventuel succes dans les colleges et les univer-sités.Là où ces institutions ne stipulent pas d'admission ouverte,il est recommandéqu'elles déterminent un numerus clausus relatif pour les admissions aux programmes.Les resultats de cette enquete montrent que là ou de tels numerus clausus ont éte institués, 76J.Douglas Ayers il se peut qu'ils le soient àun niveau inutilement élevé;de méme,qu'une politique d'ad-mission ouverte,spécialement si elle est appuyee par de l'anglais de rattrapage et une étudede cours d'aptitudes,peut etre conseillee. The Tests of General Educational Development(GED)provide the non-high schoolgraduate with the opportunity to obtain a high school equivalency certificate which hasgenerally been accepted as the equivalent of a regular high school diploma by civil servicecommissions,business organizations,and institutions of higher learning in the UnitedStates.In Canada the GED has been gaining similar recognition in all provinces andterritories except Quebec,Ontario and Alberta. The GED battery consists of five tests in the areas of English,Social Studies,NaturalSciences,Literature,and Mathematics.The tests are not oriented toward the typicalcontent of courses offered in secondary schools,rather they emphasize reading compre-hension,intellectual ability and general knowledge.Three of the tests involve interpre-tation of reading material in the social studies,natural sciences,and literature.Test 1emphasizes mechanics of expression,and to a lesser extent,effectiveness of expression inEnglish;while Test 5,entitled "General Mathematical Ability"includes basic mathematicswith very little high school algebra,geometry,or trigonometry.In practice,a number ofinstitutions preparing students for the GED require a reading comprehension score ofGrade 9 to Grade 9.5 on published standardized tests to screen those who will be un-successful on the GED.In many ways,therefore,it would be appropriate to think ofthese tests as measures of general ability and reading comprehension,rather than highschool “equivalency”examinations.They should,however,still be good predictors ofsuccess in institutions of higher learning. Considering the wisespread use of the GED,it is surprising to find very few studiesthat evaluated the test's validity for admission of non-high school graduates to institutionsof higher educatio

FAQs

What subjects do the GED tests cover and what do they measure?

The GED battery includes English, Social Studies, Natural Sciences, Literature, and Mathematics. The tests focus on reading comprehension and general knowledge rather than specific secondary-school course content.

How does the study evaluate the GED’s usefulness for college admission?

The study reports that GED results are good predictors of success in colleges and universities. It also suggests that fixed cut-off points may be set too high.

What admission policy does the study recommend regarding cut-off points?

Where institutions do not have open admission, the study recommends establishing relative cut-off points for admission. It further indicates that an open admission policy, especially with remedial English and study skills courses, may be advisable.

Oct 15, 2026

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