GED®

New York State General Educational Development (GED) Testing Office

GED Testing with Accommodations

All test candidates are required to follow standard test administration procedures established by the GEDTS and the New York Stated Education Department. However, since these procedures may make it difficult or impossible for some candidates with disabling conditions to demonstrate what they have learned, reasonable test administration accommodations may be authorized.

General Information

Under normal circumstances, all candidates are required to follow standard test administration procedures established by the GEDTS and the New York Stated Education Department. However, since these procedures may make it difficult or impossible for some candidates with disabling conditions to demonstrate what they have learned, reasonable test administration accommodations may be authorized for candidates with disabling conditions. Candidates will not be denied the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned solely because they are handicapped. Eligibility for test administration accommodations is determined on an individual basis according to each applicant’s documented needs. An applicant wishing to complete the GED Tests under different conditions or to use modified editions of the test, you must provide written verification, by a competent and appropriate professional person, of that candidate’s inability to perform test-taking skills required by standard conditions, and must include a specific justification for administering the GED test under requested conditions.

Requests for Testing Accomodations

Candidates who have a disability that requires a change to the usual way testing is done must submit a GED application to the Chief Examiner along with documentation of eligibility (if the candidate is under the age of 19). Most importantly, the candidate must submit the appropriate Request For Testing Accommodations form. There are currently four forms (available for download in either MS Word© or Adobe PDF© format; download the free Adobe Reader) External Link:

  • Instructions on How to Request Testing Accommodations
    Microsoft Word Document Icon (119KB) |PDF File (121KB)

These applications may also be obtained at your local official GED testing center. Requests for testing accommodations will be held in confidence and no record of the accommodations will be provided on the candidate’s GED score report or credential.

When requesting testing accommodations, the candidate must provide the Chief Examiner or Alternate Chief Examiner with all of the necessary documentation. The documentation should be comprehensive and must indicate how the disability substantially limits some major life activity such as seeing, hearing or learning.

Accomodation Application Process

  1. All Request For Testing Accommodations forms may be obtained by the candidate from the local official GED testing center or can be downloaded (above).
  2. The GED candidate will submit one original Request For Testing Accommodations to the GED Chief Examiner at the local testing center after the required documentation is obtained and the form signed by a certified professional(s) where indicated.  The GED Chief Examiner or Alternate Chief Examiner will review the request to determine if the appropriate form is complete. The Request For Testing Accommodations form must be completed (with original signature) by an appropriate professional stating the disabling condition(s) and the specific accommodations requested. The Chief Examiner must sign the form, attesting to the completeness of the accommodation request, NOT the diagnosis of the disabling condition. Chief/Alternate Examiners must review the following on all forms:
    • Section 1 is for the candidate’s information. A candidate’s original signature is required, and if under 18, the signature of a parent or guardian must be provided as well.
    • Section 2 is for test center information. The Examiner should fill out this section and review the entire application for completeness before signing the form and sending it on to the Albany GED Testing Office for a decision.
    • Section 3 is for the professional diagnostician or advocate to complete. As long as the advocate has the documentation available, he/she can copy the information from the documentation onto the forms. An original diagnostician or advocate signature is required as indicated.
    • Section 4 will completed by the Albany GED Testing Office; do not write in this section. A decision will be made from a review of the documentation submitted.
    • Section 3A–Ensure that the achievement test standard scores and date(s) of testing are included. Grade level scores are not acceptable.
    • Section 3B – Ensure that the type of test used, date of assessment and Verbal IQ, Performance IQ and Full Scale IQ standard scores are noted. If the WAIS test was used, make sure there are subtest scores. If the WISC-III or WAIS-III test was used, make sure there are index scores.  Do not write "see attached" on any part of the forms.  All forms must be completely filled out or they will be returned to the candidate.
    • Section 3C – Ensure that the diagnostician has marked all applicable learning disabilities.
    • Section 3D – Requested accommodations must be checked on form.
    • Request For Testing Accommodations–Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
      Ensure that the diagnostician has filled in the required DSM-IV code and has attached the required letter on official letterhead.  
      In addition, there are certain areas to which candidates / advocates / professional diagnosticians must pay close attention on specific forms:
    • Request For Testing Accommodations – Emotional/Mental Health Disability;
    • Request For Testing Accommodations – Physical/Chronic Health Disability;
    • Request For Testing Accommodations – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
    • Requested accommodations checked on form in Section 3B (Please do not put “refer to attached documentation”.)
    • Request For Testing Accommodations–Learning and Other Cognitive Disabilities
    • Professionals able to make disability diagnoses:

      Disability Type

      Licensed or Certified Professional

      Attention-Deficit/
      Hyperactivity Disorder

      		 Psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians
      Learning Disabilities Psychologists, school psychologists, educational specialists with advanced training
      Physical Disabilities Physicians, specialists in a particular area such as audiologists
      Emotional/Mental Disabilities Psychiatrists, psychologists, school psychologists, licensed professional counselor
  3. If the request is NOT complete, the GED Chief Examiner or Alternate Chief Examiner will either inform the candidate if present, or will mail a notice to the GED candidate or advocate stating what additional information is required.
  4. When the request is complete, the GED Chief Examiner or Alternate Examiner will complete and sign the form and mail it to the Albany GED Testing Office for review.
  5. The GED Administrator at the Albany GED Testing Office either informs the GED candidate of approval or non-approval, and/or a request for further information or an update on the existing information. A copy of the notification letter is sent to the Chief Examiner and is also sent to the advocate if a cover letter accompanies the request for accommodations.
  6. When further information is resubmitted, the GED Administrator at the Albany GED Testing Office either sends a letter of approval or non-approval, or submits the request to the GED Testing Service (GEDTS) in Washington DC for an expert review. A candidate may NOT test with accommodations until written approval from the GED Testing Office stating the specific accommodation(s) approved is received.
  7. If the request for testing accommodations application does not meet the GEDTS model specifications, it may be sent to the GED Testing Service for review. Requests sent to the GEDTS may require an additional thirty days or more to process. The GED Administrator at the Albany GED Testing Office will notify the GED candidate, the school, or the advocate of this timeframe.

Appealing a Review Decision

If the GED Testing Service (GEDTS) denies the GED candidate’s request for an accommodation, the candidate may appeal the decision. A clinical case review in Washington, DC is available for those cases that do not fit the GEDTS model. The request for review must first be submitted to the Albany GED Testing Office on a Testing Accommodations Appeal form, available below. The GED Administrator at the Albany GED Testing Office will then forward the review to GEDTS along with the reasons for non-approval and the reasons for appeal.

If the above review again results in non-approval, an Expert Panel Review may be requested. This review request must also be submitted to the GED Administrator at the Albany GED Testing Office, who will forward the request for Expert Panel Review at the GEDTS. The decision of the Expert Panel Review will be considered final. Additional information on testing accommodations may be obtained by writing to:

New York State Education Department
GED Testing Office
P.O. Box 7348
Albany, NY 12224 - 0348
Attn: GED Testing Accommodations
Or, call (518) 474-5906 or write to ged@mail.nysed.gov for additional information

Last Updated: December 18, 2008