While they will not be releasing a new GED 5th Edition Test in 2012 as previously planned, GED Testing Service® will begin making changes to the current exam starting in 2010.

In a recent announcement, GEDTS deputy executive director Marty Kehe said, "Instead of introducing a new test series on January 1, 2012, based on the old model, we will... begin introducing new elements of a revamped GED program in 2010. These changes will introduce a new program that we are referring to as GED 20/20. This new model... will benefit current test-takers and the large numbers of people we still aren’t reaching—people who need the GED credential now more than ever."

According to Kehe, the changes are "in sync with the new national conversation on what it means to be a high school graduate, and what is needed for graduates to become college- and career-ready. This movement towards more rigorous national content standards will have direct and lasting impact on our tests, on the GED credential, and on the testing program as a whole. We have to introduce changes and improvements to the test and the testing program that are consistent with the new direction, quickened pace, and quite frankly, the new expectations placed on all of us in the field of education."

For more information, visit the GED Testing Service website at gedtest.org. Look for "National Needs Alter Plans..."