So I've homeschooled my daughter for the past year and a half. This spring she asked me if she could go ahead and enter the local community college. She was fifteen at the time.
"Sure", I said.
The local community college told us that they would not allow her to enroll full-time in credit classes unless she had already obtained her high school diploma or her GED. They would not accept a "diploma" from homeschool.
So we sent in the application to the state for her GED. It was refused, on the basis of her age. Apparently no one younger than 16 can obtain their GED in this state.
So we waited...September rolled 'round and I sent in the application again..."she's sixteen now, please give her permission." They did, and sent us the following:
Certificate of Permission to take the GED
A list of testing centers
A list of GED study centers
And a list of instructions on what she would need to take the test.
Another $20
ID
The Certificate of Permission from the state
A completed demographic form (that must be obtained from a study center)
We found out we could NOT sign her up for the test unless she showed up at the testing center with all of the above in hand. We called the two study centers in our area, one only took single teenage mothers. She isn't knocked up, so we called the other one on the list. "You have to show up on a Monday, the center is open from 9-2:30" So she shows up at 9:15 and finds out that the doors are locked and no one gets in after 9 am. "You'll have to come back next Monday."
So, yesterday, she went in again. They asked her for her paperwork, which she had shown them the last time as well, and told her she was there on the wrong day. "Come back tomorrow."
So today she showed up there again. They handed out this damned demographic form that you can't sign up for or take the GED without. She contemplated heading for the door then and there, but someone else tried to do the same thing and was stopped and told that they had to stay. She's a little timid, so she sat there all morning and until 1:30 learning all about how to pass the GED and even took a practice test.
"Mom, if that practice test is anything like the GED, I could pass the test in my sleep." She added, "One of the questions was 'A hummingbird's beak is long and narrow, what kind of food does it eat?'"
Now she has to wait until October 5th, 8 am, to sign up for the test. Apparently you have to sign up in person, with all of your paperwork, for a test that she will finally take on October 15th and 16th.
So, now that I've told you this long, arduous tale...why do you think that form is SO important that they would structure an entire study center and GED test around it?