The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has set new application deadlines for the GED® test. Missourians working to obtain their high school equivalency certificate before the current version of the well known exam expires at the end of the year will have a limited amount of time to pass the test.

The deadline for first-time test takers applying for the current paper-based exam is September 1, 2013. The deadline to apply for retesting is November 4, 2013. State testing centers still have about 6,000 openings for the paper-based exam before it expires. Those who have taken the test but not scored well enough to receive their certificate have until the end of the year to pass the exam. If the GED® is not passed by January 1, 2014, scores from the current test will not transfer to the new one.

The current paper-based GED® test in Missouri requires payment of two fees‒a $20 fee to apply to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to become eligible to take the test and another $20 fee to the testing center to schedule the exam. Fees paid to the GED® office are non-refundable.

Individuals wanting to take the test in 2013 should apply to the Department as soon as possible so they can then schedule their test to ensure a seat is available. Applying for computer-based GED® testing at selected locations in Missouri is available through the end of 2013. For more information about the computer-based GED® test, visit http://www.gedcomputer.com.

Registration for the new test will begin in the fall of 2013. The new version of the test will be released January 2, 2014.

For more information about the GED® test, visit www.ged.mo.gov.