 At the same time, almost all states that hold an exit exam for graduation allow students to take the test multiple times and further allow routes to graduation for students that fail.In 2011, 24 states required passing a high school exit examination for graduation, and three additional states had legislation instituting such exams in the future.Graduation examinations first appeared in the U.S. after the Civil War, when the Regents Board of the State of New York imposed its first exams.