It took Althea Hoyte more than 30 years to build up the courage to try to earn her high school diploma. Now, after a year of studying, she thinks it might be too late. Hoyte took the General Education Development (GED) test in November but found out in January that she didn’t pass.

The GED was the test that students who hadn’t graduated from high school had to pass to move on to college or some careers. But it was phased out in New York at the end of December and replaced with the more challenging Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC). The new test is intended to “raise educational achievement for all students,” according to the New York State Education Department.

Students like Hoyte, 51, are worried they may not be able to pass the more rigorous test.

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