GED Statistical Report, 1991.

The Tests of General Education Development (GED) enable about 450,000 adults each year to obtain high school equivalency certificates, representing about 15 percent of all the high school diplomas issued in the United States. This report presents statistics on the 1991 program and its participants. In 1991, 806,038 persons took the GED Tests, an increase of 6 percent over the preceding year. This is the second largest number of adults tested in a single year in the program's history. Nearly 72 percent of candidates completing all 5 GED Tests in 1991 earned passing scores, and the number of GED graduates in 1991 was 483,854. The distribution of ages of GED candidates in 1991 was generally the same as that in 1990, with young adults under age 25 years accounting for about 56 percent of all candidates. The percentage of people planning further study increased in 1991 to 59 percent of all GED candidates, the highest level in the program's history. Information about test results and trends in GED participation are presented in a series of 11 tables and 5 graphs. (SLD)