GED or General Educational Development is a testing service which is a joint venture of North American council with Pearson being the sole developer. It includes tests on a group of four subjects. When cleared, GED provides certification that the test taker has high school-level academic skills of North American or Canadian standards. Although the abbreviation GED is frequently mistaken as “general education degree” or “general education diploma”, the North American Council on education, which owns the GED trademark, coined the abbreviation to identify it as General Educational Development. It measures proficiency of the candidate in science, mathematics, social studies, reading, and writing. Passing the GED test gives one the opportunity to earn their high school equivalency in case they were not able to or were not eligible to pursue high school diploma. GED tests are available in English, Spanish, and French (in Canada). They are available in large print, audio, and braille (for differently-abled). Tests and test preparations are also offered to persons deployed on military bases. Individuals living outside the United States and Canada may be eligible to take the GED tests through Pearson Vue testing centers. The minimum age to apply for a GED exam is 16 years (some states have 18 years the minimum age).