According to the American Council on Education, to qualify for GED test-taking, an individual must be 16 years or older, must have dropped out from high school and should not be pursuing any high school program. Though this is the basic age limit, states and provinces have different age requirements and candidates for a GED must meet these requirements as well. In addition, states and provinces have conditions for the residency status and the period of time since a candidate's dropout from school.
In some states such as Connecticut, test-takers must be at least 17 years of age. Depending on the state requirements, test-takers might have to produce additional documents to prove eligibility while applying. For example, in Connecticut, candidates who are 17 years old have to produce a withdrawal form along with official documents stating that the candidate has dropped from high school before at least six months. The withdrawal form must bear the signature of the candidate's parent or caretaker. Withdrawal forms are not essential for candidates 18 years of age,but they have to submit a letter from the high school they last attended, stating that the class the candidate belonged to prior to withdrawal has graduated.
Some states such as Florida require candidates to be 18 years or older to be eligible for test-taking. In such cases, states or provinces can qualify candidates below 18 years under certain conditions. For example, in Florida, students 16 to 17 years old must have obtained age waiver approval from their school district to be eligible to take GED tests.
Candidates must be 19 years or above in states that include West Virginia and Ohio to take GED tests. States and provinces might make exceptions with special conditions. For example, in Ohio, candidates who are 18 years of age have to submit an age waiver form approved by the school district from where the candidate dropped out or from the school district in the candidate's current place of residence. Candidates in the 16-17 age group must prove parent approval in addition to school board approval by submitting a parent consent form bearing the signature of the candidate's parent, caretaker or an officer of the court.