The California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) provides an opportunity for eligible persons to prove their proficiency in the basic skills and receive a certificate equal to a California high school diploma. Proficiency is defined by the average performance of second-semester twelfth graders in California's public comprehensive high schools.

The CHSPE is given at approximately 75 sites throughout the state. Registrants must pay a $50 fee. Enrollment in high school at the time the test is given is not a requirement, but persons wishing to take the test must be at least sixteen years of age, have completed one year of tenth grade, or be enrolled in the second semester of the tenth grade. There is no upper age limit to take the test. The State Board of Education awards each person who passes the CHSPE a Certificate of Proficiency, which is equivalent by law to a California high school diploma.