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Pennsylvania HiSET® Requirements

The following policies apply to anyone taking the HiSET® exam in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. When you schedule an appointment, you will need to confirm that you have read and understand these policies.

See the Pennsylvania Education Department website for more information.

Eligibility Requirements

To take the HiSET exam in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • High School Equivalency Status: You must not be enrolled, nor required to be enrolled, in high school, and you must not have a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma/credential.
  • Age:
    • If you are 18 years of age or older, you may test without any special conditions.
    • If you are 16 or 17 years of age, you may take the HiSET, however, you must have an approved age-waiver application request (PDF) from the Pennsylvania Department of Education before scheduling an appointment.
    • No one under 16 years of age is eligible.
  • Residency:
    • You must be a resident of Pennsylvania to take the HiSET exam.
    • You must provide documentation of your identity and Pennsylvania residence.
  • Test Preparation or Instruction: You are not required to take HiSET preparation courses before taking the test.
  • Practice Test: You are not required to take a practice test before taking the official exam.
  • Identification: You must provide acceptable proof of identity and Pennsylvania residency in the form of documentation that provides all of the following information:
    • your name
    • address
    • date of birth
    • signature
    • current photograph

If you do not have the preferred identification, acceptable documentation to verify identity and residency can include any combination of the following:

  • valid U.S. or foreign passport, military ID, or other U.S.- or foreign government-issued document that includes a name, current photograph, date of birth, and signature, and
  • a utility bill, signed lease, tax record, voter registration form, bank statement or car registration that includes your current address

Pennsylvania HiSET Testing Fees

Paper-based Test

Perfect for test takers who love the scratch of pencil on paper and the feeling they’re in high school all over again.

$ 15 .00

per subtest, plus test administration fee
(see below)

  • Includes two (2) re-tests per subtest *
  • Paper-based tests may only be taken at a designated test center and are not available for Test at Home.

Computer-based Test

Ideal for test takers who are more comfortable clicking a mouse. Plus, it costs less.

$ 10 .75

per subtest, plus test administration fee
(see below)

Test Administration Fees

Test Center Fee:

$ 8 .00

per subtest

Test at Home Fee:

$ 17 .50

per subtest

State Admin Fee:

$ 0 .00

per subtest

* A test center administration fee is required for each re-test. Test center administration fees by modality are outlined above.