GRE Test can be taken from home amid Corona Crisis

We know COVID-19 has created new and unexpected challenges. Many of you would have planned to take the GRE or registered for the GRE and you have had the GRE canceled due to COVID–19.

In this demanding situation, Educational Testing Services (ETS) is supporting the students by temporarily offering GRE General Test as a home option.

In ETS’s words,

As of April 2,
the GRE General Test at home is now available everywhere that the computer-delivered GRE General Test is offered, with the exception of Mainland China and Iran.

What Students Have to Know

• Types of equipment and testing room checklist
• Registering the Test
• Test format and testing experience
• Security Safeguards

Before getting into the details, there are two limitations for the GRE home testing.

1. Cannot use an iOS® operating system.
2. Students cannot take the test with accommodations.

At any case, home testing option is good news for many of you.

Equipments and testing room checklist:

Make sure to do a complete checklist before registering for the home test. If the requirement is not met, do not register.

System requirement for GRE Home test:

Testing room checklist:

• You must be alone in the room and no one should enter the room during the testing time.
• The table and the surrounding areas must be kept clean.
• You must be dressed appropriately and have to sit on a chair while testing. Your photos will be shared with the colleges which receive the scores.
• Food and drink are not allowed during the test.

Registering for the Test:

GRE home testing can be registered in the usual way. You have to create an account on ets.org for registration.

Certain points to be noted while registering for the home test,

• On the ‘find the test centers’ page, you have to choose, ‘test at home’.
• The date and time of the test can only be chosen later on the ProctorU account.
• After making the payment, you will receive a mail to access the ProctorU account through which the date and time can be selected.

As mentioned earlier, if the system and testing room requirements are not met, do not register for the home test.

Test Format and testing experience:

Is the GRE Home testing the same as the usual GRE?

• GRE home testing is identical in content, format, and on-screen experience to those taken at a test center.
• Test taker-friendly features such as an on-screen calculator, and move-around within the section are available in the home testing screen as well.
• ETS uses the same scoring criteria and scoring process, and on the same score scale, so scores can be accepted in the usual way.
• Scores will be available on the same day of the test and the official score report will be available within 10-15 days of the test date on your ETS account.
• The score report will not indicate how the test was delivered.
• GRE home testing fees are offered at the same price as a test taken in the center.

Note-making materials

One difference in-home testing is, for security reasons, you cannot use papers or a notebook for doing rough work.

You can use one of the following,

• A small size whiteboard and an erasable marker
• Paper with a transparent sheet protector and an erasable marker

So, when you mark and move to another question and come back, you may not be able to continue the work from where you stopped; you have to start working from the beginning but in a way, it is good as you will have to take a fresh look at the problem. As for pacing advice, you have to do all the easy questions first and have to decide on questions that you want to do later.

Security Safeguards:

ETS is taking every precaution to ensure that test delivery and administration meet the usual high standards.

Human Proctor:

• Live, human proctoring is delivered by ProctorU.
• 10+ years of experience delivering innovative solutions to over 1000 organizations, including universities, colleges and public and private enterprise
• Their data from over 5 million test-takers, including for large-scale, high-stakes tests, has given them unique insight into when and how examinees attempt to violate security standards.
• Human proctors will ensure constant vigilance, including confirming the test taker’s identity and scanning their home environment before testing begins, flagging any suspicious activity, and intervening if necessary.
• Before the test begins, photos are taken of the test taker and their ID documents.
• The proctor verifies the ID document and then uses facial recognition to compare the ID document with the person sitting at the computer.

Artificial Intelligence Technology:

• Human proctor vigilance is complemented by artificial intelligence measures for added security such as facial recognition, gaze tracking and video recording of the entire session will guard against malicious activity.
• This technology is used to verify the test taker matches the identification document multiple times throughout the test, including after the 10-minute break.

Students can effectively make use of this lockdown period for GRE preparation and can take the at-home testing option.

For more information, call our Study Abroad Helpline at 1800 102 4646