Missouri uses new high school equivalency exam

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri this month ditched GED tests for another high school equivalency exam, joining several other states that have made the switch.

Missouri is now using HiSet, an exam developed by Educational Testing Service, the Columbia Missourian reported. Missouri decided to make the change last year because of concerns that a new version of the GED is more costly and is no longer offered in a pencil and paper format.

"Before, there wasn't any competition," said Tom Robbins, coordinator of Adult Education for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "This time, three companies put a bid in. The question was: Who should get the bid?"

The cost of taking the GED in Missouri was expected to rise from $40 to $140.

The recommended way of taking the new HiSet exam is to spend $95 for the five-test battery. Test-takers get two free retests within a 12-month period but must pay an additional $7 to the testing site each time they retake one of the subtests.

Historically, about 13,000 people take a high-school-equivalency exam in Missouri, and about 72 percent pass it.

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Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com