Massachusetts Equivalency Rules — Cost, Online, Age and Records

The quick answers

Test offered

both tests — the GED test and the HiSET exam

Run your exact case in the Path Checker.

Online testing

Not offered

This state tests at test centers.

Standard age

18

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

What it costs in Massachusetts

Route	Per subject / subtest	Full test
GED test — at a test center	$36 per subject unverified — check the official page	$144 total
GED test — online	Not offered in Massachusetts — test-center only
HiSET exam — at a test center	per-subtest price not published in the checked dataset	$103.75 total unverified — check the official page

No Online Exam section on the Massachusetts ged.com policy page (in-person testing centers only). Online GED testing is not offered in Massachusetts. (Online CLASSES exist; the test itself is in-person.)

Age and exceptions

Standard age: 18. 16-17: cannot schedule until an official Letter of Withdrawal from the last school attended is approved by the Massachusetts HSE Office (letterhead, last attendance/withdrawal dates, principal/head-of-guidance signature; submit to HSET@mass.gov). Must live at a Massachusetts address.

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 Massachusetts (the transcript door)

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

Fee: $20 per document.

DiplomaSender holds ALL Massachusetts GED and HiSET records back to 1968 and issues all credentials/transcripts/verifications (MA DESE, diligence-verified verbatim). First credential + first score report are free for new passers; additional documents $20 each.

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 · 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.

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