I have a character attending a public high school in Manhattan in the mid to late sixties. Was there a graduation exam in place during this period, including all major subjects in one test with a central proctor (a la the Regents used currently), or were exams only given in individual classes (or not at all)? When I was in high school, we took a graduation exam our junior year which included all subjects, and then had individual class exams for the class credits in both junior and senior years. I've managed to find that having a graduation exam in addition to individual class exams is a relatively new phenomenon that varies by state, but I haven't been able to pin down how new the Regents are, or, if the Regents don't go back that far, if any similar incarnation did.
If the Regents/no similar exam existed, would it be too much of a stretch for this character to sit her exams all at once, considering she's missed a metric ton of school due to hospitalization? She's kept up with her work and is back in school now, but may have missed the first (only?) exam date.
Essentially, what I'm trying to find out is - if there is no graduation exam, would it be conceivable for her to be taking exams in two subjects back to back, and would she be in a room with other test takers or alone with a proctor?
Thanks in advance.
