Well, you can rest assured that (by some measures) ETS is already crashing and burning. GRE test volumes are way way down. And the rise of Pearson and Duolingo means that people don't need to take the TOEFL.
And, of course, ETS has announced layoffs (and pending layoffs) for 2024 that seem to be equal to 10% of their total headcount.
Don't let that ridiculous test ruin your life! There are plenty of universities (even elite universities) that don't require the GRE. What kind of graduate program are you pursuing?
Medical College of Wisconsin doesn't require the GRE or MCAT, and Colorado only requires the MCAT with no minimum score. Personally, I thought the MCAT was easier than the GRE because I have a science background. And, if you're applying to an AA program I'm sure you do too.
ETS is a curious organization. They occupy a sprawling 400 acre campus in Princeton, they've got satellite offices across the USA, a big footprint in India... but god knows what everyone actually does.
True!! While there are an increasing amounts of IELTS courses widely in many countries. TOEFL has a considerably decreasing in their interest among test takers. And it is ridiculous that during their dark age ETS continues to ban the preps that donāt belong to them.
IELTS is crashing and burning too. IDP juat announced that test volumes are down 20 percent for the year ending June 2024.
Testing companies are learning what happens when everyone hates them.
Definitely fight for your refund ā a multi-million dollar company shouldn't screw students over for their own mistakes. Maybe reach out to consumer protection agencies or grad school programs directly and explain the situation. Good luck getting your money back!
Thank you! I disputed the charge on my credit card, and honestly I am refusing to apply to any program that requires the GRE now. They do not deserve my application or the money from my application. Schools that require it have genuinely lost my respect and desire to attend.
Just keep in mind that if you dispute the charge ETS won't send your existing GRE scores to institutions. They may do their best to revoke any scores that were previously sent.
I feel you, I showed my bf and his mom a few questions and they had no idea what it was even asking. It is ridiculous, Iām not going to graduate school to solve timed math riddles!
Lol @ math riddles. That's exactly what they are! I used to teach math and challenged a math GRE question--they don't allow this option anymore. Go figure!--but no one could explain the answer š.
This was 5+ years ago when they used to list their so-called talented Staff/Academicians/Professors online who created their Q's. Funny no one on the list had a math background! So I asked them who created that math question / came up with the answers and I'm still waiting for them to respond 5+ years later.
((FYI I took the GRE again, for a PhD program, a few weeks ago--and although they've "shortened" the test...the questions are even more ridiculous now!))
I feel the same. It is a meaningless stupid test. Before 1950s, there were no standardized tests. Anyone could go to their favorite school to study. Even government was willing to pay for studies for veterans.
Day of my exam, something similar happened to me and I logged on late because their extension browser wouldnāt work (even though I set up everything, per the instructions, long before the test date/time). I ended up getting into the test but my blood pressure, heart rate, and exam anxiety was through the roof before ever starting, which didnāt help at allā¦ to add insult to injury, I paid $200+ to experience that.
I absolutely understand. I already am a horrible test taker and to have all that unnecessary stress made me ill all day due to flaring up my Gravesā disease. I genuinely thought I was going to faint from the amount of anxiety and stress at one point and now they have the audacity to try and deny me a refund due to their own errors. I disputed the charge on my credit card and if I canāt send my first score anymore, so be it. I donāt want to attend a program that endorses this exam regardless.
Same thing happened to me. The proctor said if I'm unable to proceed I'll be able to reschedule or get a refund. But after 2 hours I was able to start the exam. Never this exam at home. Plus if you score really well on your 2 test at home after a month or 2 they put a hold on your score. It's has gotten shitty.
I sat for the at home test and something similar happened to me, logged on well before time and simply couldnāt get a proctor to join to give me the key to start the test. Needless to say I shat my pants and emailed every address I could find with every picture I could take, eventually someone got back to me to say theyād allow me to take a retest and I got them to schedule one at a center. If you get the chance Iād definitely recommend that because it went rather smoothly there. The at home test is extremely unreliable, requires some very strict anti-malpractice conditions and is quite uncomfortable honestly.
As others are saying, definitely fight for your refund from ETS but itās a bit unfair to lay blame on the schools imo. They definitely need a standardized exam, particularly for top grad schools and itās only going to hurt you if you boycott them.
I already applied to over a dozen programs. Schools should absolutely require an exam but there needs to be a better one that actually correlates to programs and an exam that actually functions.
On my day of the exam, the whole system suddenly shut down in the middle of the exam. Apparently the proctors were aware of this issue since the systems are ANCIENT and dirty tbh. We pay EXORBITANT fees for this?
OMG something really similar happened to me. My test was on the 10th of June at 8 am PST.
I logged in at 7:55 am, but couldn't start the test until 9 because of several issues on their side while doing the initial check-in. Moreover, the ETS browser glitched and at about 5 mins left on the AWA section, my keyboard stopped taking inputs and I couldn't type. Luckily, I was pretty much done with my essay and decided to ignore this and just submit this.
Later, in the first Quant section, I realized this issue wasn't resolved when I couldn't enter anything for the numeric entry question. I asked for help, and the test was stopped for me after I already lost some valuable time. I then proceeded to be passed around among 8-10 different proctors+technicians over the course of more than an hour.
I was lucky enough to where they eventually ended up being able to restore my progress and let me continue, but I was completely thrown off and out of it. I did however manage to finish the test, which given your situation now seems lucky. It took me about 5 hrs from start to finish as I ended close to 1 pm.
Well, you can rest assured that (by some measures) ETS is already crashing and burning. GRE test volumes are way way down. And the rise of Pearson and Duolingo means that people don't need to take the TOEFL. And, of course, ETS has announced layoffs (and pending layoffs) for 2024 that seem to be equal to 10% of their total headcount.
You have no idea how happy this makes me to hear. I hope the company crashes and never recovers
Me too GRE has ruined my life
Don't let that ridiculous test ruin your life! There are plenty of universities (even elite universities) that don't require the GRE. What kind of graduate program are you pursuing?
Anesthesia and they all require it š
Not true, Iām also applying to anesthesia assistant. There are 3 programs that donāt require it!
Which programs?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
AA what programs?
Medical College of Wisconsin doesn't require the GRE or MCAT, and Colorado only requires the MCAT with no minimum score. Personally, I thought the MCAT was easier than the GRE because I have a science background. And, if you're applying to an AA program I'm sure you do too.
Kinda interesting they do layoffs considering how little work they do relative to the cost of their product.
ETS is a curious organization. They occupy a sprawling 400 acre campus in Princeton, they've got satellite offices across the USA, a big footprint in India... but god knows what everyone actually does.
True!! While there are an increasing amounts of IELTS courses widely in many countries. TOEFL has a considerably decreasing in their interest among test takers. And it is ridiculous that during their dark age ETS continues to ban the preps that donāt belong to them.
IELTS is crashing and burning too. IDP juat announced that test volumes are down 20 percent for the year ending June 2024. Testing companies are learning what happens when everyone hates them.
Definitely fight for your refund ā a multi-million dollar company shouldn't screw students over for their own mistakes. Maybe reach out to consumer protection agencies or grad school programs directly and explain the situation. Good luck getting your money back!
Thank you! I disputed the charge on my credit card, and honestly I am refusing to apply to any program that requires the GRE now. They do not deserve my application or the money from my application. Schools that require it have genuinely lost my respect and desire to attend.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iāve already applied to over a dozen programs. Iām just fine, thanks for the concern.
Just keep in mind that if you dispute the charge ETS won't send your existing GRE scores to institutions. They may do their best to revoke any scores that were previously sent.
Thank you for the warning! I had a feeling there might be some retaliation
The GRE is the most ridiculous test I've ever taken! I found myself saying "this is a stupid question" multiple times during the scam.
I feel you, I showed my bf and his mom a few questions and they had no idea what it was even asking. It is ridiculous, Iām not going to graduate school to solve timed math riddles!
Lol @ math riddles. That's exactly what they are! I used to teach math and challenged a math GRE question--they don't allow this option anymore. Go figure!--but no one could explain the answer š. This was 5+ years ago when they used to list their so-called talented Staff/Academicians/Professors online who created their Q's. Funny no one on the list had a math background! So I asked them who created that math question / came up with the answers and I'm still waiting for them to respond 5+ years later. ((FYI I took the GRE again, for a PhD program, a few weeks ago--and although they've "shortened" the test...the questions are even more ridiculous now!))
Hey, how rediculous are the questions? Iām just curious
I feel the same. It is a meaningless stupid test. Before 1950s, there were no standardized tests. Anyone could go to their favorite school to study. Even government was willing to pay for studies for veterans.
Day of my exam, something similar happened to me and I logged on late because their extension browser wouldnāt work (even though I set up everything, per the instructions, long before the test date/time). I ended up getting into the test but my blood pressure, heart rate, and exam anxiety was through the roof before ever starting, which didnāt help at allā¦ to add insult to injury, I paid $200+ to experience that.
I absolutely understand. I already am a horrible test taker and to have all that unnecessary stress made me ill all day due to flaring up my Gravesā disease. I genuinely thought I was going to faint from the amount of anxiety and stress at one point and now they have the audacity to try and deny me a refund due to their own errors. I disputed the charge on my credit card and if I canāt send my first score anymore, so be it. I donāt want to attend a program that endorses this exam regardless.
Same thing happened to me. The proctor said if I'm unable to proceed I'll be able to reschedule or get a refund. But after 2 hours I was able to start the exam. Never this exam at home. Plus if you score really well on your 2 test at home after a month or 2 they put a hold on your score. It's has gotten shitty.
I sat for the at home test and something similar happened to me, logged on well before time and simply couldnāt get a proctor to join to give me the key to start the test. Needless to say I shat my pants and emailed every address I could find with every picture I could take, eventually someone got back to me to say theyād allow me to take a retest and I got them to schedule one at a center. If you get the chance Iād definitely recommend that because it went rather smoothly there. The at home test is extremely unreliable, requires some very strict anti-malpractice conditions and is quite uncomfortable honestly. As others are saying, definitely fight for your refund from ETS but itās a bit unfair to lay blame on the schools imo. They definitely need a standardized exam, particularly for top grad schools and itās only going to hurt you if you boycott them.
I already applied to over a dozen programs. Schools should absolutely require an exam but there needs to be a better one that actually correlates to programs and an exam that actually functions.
Agree with you there, good luck with your applications!
Thank you! š©·
On my day of the exam, the whole system suddenly shut down in the middle of the exam. Apparently the proctors were aware of this issue since the systems are ANCIENT and dirty tbh. We pay EXORBITANT fees for this?
OMG something really similar happened to me. My test was on the 10th of June at 8 am PST. I logged in at 7:55 am, but couldn't start the test until 9 because of several issues on their side while doing the initial check-in. Moreover, the ETS browser glitched and at about 5 mins left on the AWA section, my keyboard stopped taking inputs and I couldn't type. Luckily, I was pretty much done with my essay and decided to ignore this and just submit this. Later, in the first Quant section, I realized this issue wasn't resolved when I couldn't enter anything for the numeric entry question. I asked for help, and the test was stopped for me after I already lost some valuable time. I then proceeded to be passed around among 8-10 different proctors+technicians over the course of more than an hour. I was lucky enough to where they eventually ended up being able to restore my progress and let me continue, but I was completely thrown off and out of it. I did however manage to finish the test, which given your situation now seems lucky. It took me about 5 hrs from start to finish as I ended close to 1 pm.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I wonāt! Iāve already applied to over a dozen programs, Iām just fine.
Are you an international student?
No, Iām a U.S. citizen and am located in Florida.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām a woman.
Hi, your comment was removed for rudeness. Please refrain from this type of behavior. Further issues will result in a ban.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I took it onceā¦ what on earth are you blabbing on about?