Feel safe while taking the GRE test at home

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused millions of students to rethink their higher education plans. But while students pursuing a foreign degree may have suffered a setback in the short term, aspirations for better job prospects, cultural experiences and new life opportunities continue to attract students. As nations begin undergoing mass COVID-vaccination campaigns, institutions worldwide should […]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused millions of students to rethink their higher education plans. But while students pursuing a foreign degree may have suffered a setback in the short term, aspirations for better job prospects, cultural experiences and new life opportunities continue to attract students. As nations begin undergoing mass COVID-vaccination campaigns, institutions worldwide should expect an influx of international applicants, causing a spike in the global education landscape. To avoid losing out on an offer of admission to their desired school, students interested in studying abroad must plan ahead, ensure they meet program requirements, and complete and score well on a standardized admissions test to give them the edge. A standardized test is a requirement for admissions to many graduate programs abroad and a high score on a well-accepted and credible test can help one stand out among other students. Moreover, the process of preparing for a standardized test also helps prepare one for graduate-level coursework. The GRE ® General Test, for example, measures a student’s critical thinking skills and assists graduate admissions committees worldwide in determining which applicants are best suited for their programs. The GRE® General Test is the most widely accepted graduate admissions test worldwide. The test is designed using a scientific approach in consultation with educational institutions and academics. The test assesses students’ verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills to determine their academic preparedness for graduate-level study, including STEM and business programs. To maintain confidence in the GRE test’s utility by top-tier programs and
universities, the test sustains a trusted level of integrity.

For years, ETS, the company that develops and administers the GRE test, has prioritized test security by implementing the highest standards in test design, delivery and posttest analysis. The content and administration of the GRE General Test are developed by experts with fraud prevention in mind so that test takers and institutional score users can feel confident in the integrity and validity of GRE scores. When the pandemic closed test centers worldwide, a ubiquitous demand by prospective graduate students for a virtual GRE test solution surfaced since critical admission deadlines were still looming. In response to this demand, ETS was the first in the industry to deliver a remotely proctored test solution in collaboration with industry leader, ProctorU®, to make the GRE General Test available to test takers from the safety of their homes. With about 70% of test centers now open in India, students have the option to test at a center or at home — wherever they think they’ll do their best. But how does ETS ensure that people are provided with a convenient, flexible and safe option for testing in the privacy of their homes without cheating the system? For this, ETS has extensive experience modernizing assessment formats and developed a robust security mechanism to deal with any nefarious activities intended to game the system. The ETS Office of Testing Integrity is constantly addressing attempts by those trying to gain unfair advantages and maintains test security and integrity through real-time human monitoring supported by artificial intelligence (AI) technology, security investigations, audits and dedicated score validity-assurance practices. As such, ETS has been successful in invalidating the scores of those who attempt improper
testing behaviors and is therefore confident in score validity worldwide. Here are some
examples of GRE at home test security measures applied by ETS:

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Identity Verification

Test takers’ identities are verified prior to their taking the exam by the proctor. Specifically, test takers’ photos are matched against their official, government-issued identification. AI is used to ensure that the same test taker remains in their seat during the entirety of the exam and to guard from a second person entering the room. What’s more, ETS uses voice biometrics to match a test taker’s voice to recordings on file to prevent cheating and identify potential impersonation cases.

— Ray Nicosia,
Executive director of Office of
Testing Integrity for ETS.