Thousands of older incarcerated youth (17-18 years old) pass through the juvenile justice system every year. Many are not viable candidates for traditional high school graduation because of limited earned credits and large gaps in education. The purpose of this study was to establish an effective and efficient means for determining students' readiness for passing the General Educational Development (GED) test as an alternative to a traditional high school diploma. A correlational study was conducted, and 212 male subjects who were incarcerated in juvenile halls or long-term detention facilities were administered three tests. The Basic Skills Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test and the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System Extended Employability System Form 130 were used to predict performance on the GED test. The first hypothesis, which predicted a significant correlation between the two basic skills predictor instruments, was supported. Correlation coefficients were statistically significant at the 0.001 level. The second set of hypotheses, which predicted that the two basic skills instruments, either singly or together, would be significant predictors of performance on the GED, was supported. All subtests of the predictor instruments were statistically significant at the 0.001 level. The final pair of hypotheses, which predicted that the results would not vary significantly across ethnic groups, was supported. (Contains 10 tables and 18 references.) (Author/SLD)