California rules · checked 2026-10-20

California: the test, the cost, and the paper that proves you passed.

California offers both tests — the GED test and the HiSET exam. This page carries the state's exact answers — fees, online status, the age rule and its exceptions, retake rules, and the record door — from the official sources, dated, with every unverified figure flagged where it stands.

The quick answers

Test offered

both tests — the GED test and the HiSET exam

Run your exact case in the Path Checker.

Online testing

Offered

Online needs a green practice score (145+) in the subject, inside 60 days.

Standard age

18

Exceptions under that age are below — almost every state has one.

What it costs in California

RoutePer subject / subtestFull test
GED test — at a test center$41 per subject unverified — check the official page$164 total
GED test — online$41 per subject unverified — check the official page$164 total
HiSET exam — at a test centerper-subtest price not published in the checked dataset unverified — check the official pagetotal not published in the checked dataset unverified — check the official page

Age and exceptions

Standard age: 18. Under 18 only if: within 60 days of 18th birthday; OR within 60 days of would-have-graduated date and not enrolled; OR age 17, out of school 60+ consecutive days, with a request letter from the military, a college, or an employer.

Retake rules

GED retakes: GED Testing Service waives its $26 fee for one discounted retake per subject at a test center (valid 12 months; state/center fees may still apply). Online-proctored retakes are NOT discounted (full price). No wait for retakes 1-2; after a third failed attempt in a subject, a 60-day wait applies before retesting that subject.

HiSET retakes: HiSET includes 2 retakes per subtest within 12 months of the first attempt; the test-taker pays only the test-center fee on retakes (at-home retakes pay the online proctor fee). Maximum 3 attempts per subtest per year.

Your record in California (the transcript door)

The paper that proves you passed — your transcript or diploma copy — is held by Parchment — start at the official door: https://www.parchment.com.

Fee: fee not published — expect $15–$20 at the official door.

Find yours by year with the Transcript Finder — it adds the era warnings and the documents checklist for your case.

Verification, cell by cell

These cells in this state's row could not be confirmed on an official source in the 2026-10-20 pass and are flagged wherever they appear above: ged_fee_per_subject_center unverified — check the official page · ged_fee_per_subject_online unverified — check the official page · hiset_fee_per_subject_center unverified — check the official page · hiset_total_center unverified — check the official page

Included in the $19 Pass Plan

  • The retake-budget worksheet for your state: the first-attempt cost, the discounted-retake math, and the worst-case total — filled from your state's real rules, so a bad day is a number you already know, not a surprise
  • The score-report reader: sample reports decoded line by line — what the band means, what the content flags point at, and the next three moves for each

See the $19 Pass Plan

One payment, yours to keep — the printable companion to the free plan above. Everything inside →

Sources

Checked 2026-10-20. Figures flagged unverified came from secondary tables, not the official page — that is why they are flagged. Corrections are published on the correction log.