The GED test is typically for people 18 and older who did not graduate from high school and do not already have a GED diploma. A photo ID proving date of birth and Kansas residency must be shown in order to take the test. Acceptable forms of ID include a valid driver's license, passport, military ID or another government-issued form of ID.
The GED test can be taken by someone 16 or 17 if they present a compulsory school attendance disclaimer with the signatures of a school official and a parent or guardian. A compulsory school attendance disclaimer is a form filled out when the student withdraws from school at age 16 or 17.
A compulsory attendance exemption form will also permit someone 16 or 17 to take the GED test. This form is signed by a school authority and a parent or guardian and shows that the youth regularly attends an alternative school program, is exempt from attending school because of a court order, or a disclaimer regarding the youth has been signed.
The compulsory attendance disclaimer or exemption form does not need a parent or guardian's signature if the 16- or 17-year-old is married, legally emancipated or subject to a court order. A youth can also take the GED test at 16 or 17 if a certificate of graduation from a home schooling program or letter of disenrollment from a home schooling program is presented.