Adults who take the General Educational Development Test, or GED, in states that require practice tests or other forms of preparation pass at higher rates than test takers in other states, according to a new report.

Of the 10 states posting the highest GED pass rates in 2006 — well above the national average of 68 percent — five required test takers to pass an official GED practice test before taking the exam, according to the “2006 GED Testing Program Statistical Report,” which was released today by the GED Testing Service.

Three of the 10 states required test takers to otherwise show that they were prepared for the test, offered free practice tests, or offered one-on-one test preparation, the report stated.

“When jurisdictions invest in an individual’s preparation for the GED tests, there’s a strong likelihood that they will realize a positive return in terms of improved completion and pass rates,” Sylvia E. Robinson, executive director of the testing service, said in a written statement.

GED tests certify the high-school-level academic achievement of adults who lack a high-school diploma. The tests are administered locally by each state and the District of Columbia, as well as in the Canadian provinces and in U.S. military and correctional facilities.

In 2006 more than 614,000 adults completed the battery of tests in writing, reading, social studies, science, and mathematics. —Libby Sander