. >> reporter: randy trask is the president of the ged testing service, the for-profit company that's developing the new exam. the ged was created in 1942 for returning veterans who dropped out of high school to serve in world war ii and was run by the nonprofit american council on education. >> and in the 70 years since then, our test takers have evolved quite a bit, but we now have more than 19 million people who have had to earn their second chance at a high school credential by way of the ged test. >> reporter: the ged has been an important tool for high school dropouts and immigrants to make inroads to higher education or secure better jobs. about 700,000 take it every year, but only about 36% of those who pass the ged enroll in a two or four-year college. that's low compared to 66% of high school grads who enroll. and overall, those with a high school equivalency degree earn less than those with a regular high school degree. trask says figures like the that compelled the council in 2011 to partner with pearson, an education services company. they formed a joint venture under nam