Students who are in the midst of earning their Graduate Equivalency Diploma have until the end of the year to finish the five-test battery.

According to the American Council on Education Website, people working toward their GED diplomas have until December 31, 2001, to pass the current GED tests.

"On January 1, 2002, GED testing centers throughout the United States, Canada and overseas will begin administering a new edition of the tests," the ACE Website states. "Any GED candidate who has not successfully completed all five tests by January 1, 2002, will have to start again with the new series of tests for a high school-equivalency credential."

"Finish up by December if you are a good way through the battery," said West Point Army Education Counselor Nancy Judd.

Judd offered different advice to those who are about to begin GED preparation.

"Don’t start now. Wait until the new tests," begin in January, she offered.

The implementation of the new GED marks the first time the program has been updated since 1988.

Although all Army education centers in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, can administer the GED to any active-duty military members, Judd said she has given only one GED to an enlisted soldier in the six years she has been at West Point.

"That’s probably due to the high education level of enlisted soldiers assigned to West Point and other options open to earning a GED," she said.

For instance, in New York students can also earn a GED by completing 24 hours of college credit at any of the state’s community colleges.

Judd said there are also options for civilians wishing to complete a GED.

"The Board of Cooperative Education Services in Goshen and Newburgh administers the GED for civilians," she said.

Civilians needing more information about the GED should contact the Goshen office at (845) 565-6382 or the Newburgh office at (845) 562-1188.