COVID-19 Impact: GRE / TOEFL Home Edition by ETS
As you must be already aware, you need to take relevant eligibility tests for admission for higher degrees in most international universities. While the Graduate Record Examination, commonly known as GRE, is taken by the students applying for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics related courses in the US and some top universities in other countries, TOEFL is an English Language proficiency test widely accepted by a lot of universities across the globe. In the current scheme of things revolving the COVID-19 pandemic, students are unable to go to the test centers to take these crucial tests. To address this issue and ensure that aspirants are able to stick to their plan of action regarding their higher education, Educational Testing Service or ETS has come up with an effective solution. With the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test and the GRE® General Test at Home, aspirants can take the same tests in the same format in the comfort of their own homes.
For obvious reasons, these tests will be thoroughly proctored from the start to the end by live remote proctors and artificial intelligence technology by ProctorU® (leading proctoring solution for online testing). The test taker will need to fulfill some Hardware, Software and space requirements.
Hardware and Software
- A desktop or laptop computer with Windows® operating system, versions 10, 8, or 7 (NO tablet or mobile device or an iOS® operating system)
- Chrome or Firefox browser (NOT Internet Explorer as browser)
- ETS Test Browser and ProctorU® System Check
- Internal or external speaker and internal or external microphone that is not part of a headset (NOT earphones or headphones as ears must not be covered)
- built-in camera in the computer or a separate webcam (N0 Recording devices)
- Stable internet connection and electricity backup
Space and Test Environment
- Closed room with a flat surface like a table top to keep the laptop/desktop (NOT in a public space of any kind)
- A standard chair (NO bed, bean bag or anything with crevices)
- Appropriate clothing as the entire test will be recorded live (NO Sunglasses, jewelry, tie clips, cuff links, ornate clips, combs, barrettes, headbands and other hair accessories)
- Whiteboard with erasable marker or Paper with transparent sheet protector and erasable marker for taking notes (NO Regular pen and paper)
It is advisable to check whether you can meet all the aforementioned requirements before you register for the at-home test. The registration process is to be initiated on the ETS website, after which the at-home test option can be selected. The process will be completed on the ProctorU website, the link for which will be sent in the mail. The test taker will get to choose the date and time on the ProctorU section. The scoring and the procedure to report the scores remain the same. This Test at Home option will be available for students till June 30, 2020 as of today. The status will be updated as the situation around the pandemic unfolds.
Neelanjana Sarkar
Trainer & Counselor
