Hey, the TOEFL home edition is now permanent. Well, in their advertising ETS uses the phrase “here to stay.” The website says that it will be available “for the foreseeable future.” See below.
Update: here is the e-mail sent to institutions that use the scores:
In response to the needs expressed by institutions and test takers, ETS is pleased to announce that the at home TOEFL iBT® test and GRE® General Test are here to stay and will become a continuing part of each brand’s product portfolios. The TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition will also get an updated name: TOEFL iBT Home Edition. At home testing appointments are currently available around the clock for both tests through the end of January, and future appointments will be available soon.
7 months ago, we proudly announced that we had quickly introduced a solution for students who had been impacted by COVID-19 to take the TOEFL iBT test and the GRE General Test at home until in-person testing could resume. The tests have the exact same content, format, on-screen experience and scoring as the tests given in a test center. And thanks to artificial intelligence and remote proctoring, institutions can feel assured that the tests are administered securely and that the scores are reliable.
Since launching the at home tests in March, we at ETS have learned a lot, and have been making continuous improvements to the products and experience. Early on, the tests were only available on PCs, but we quickly expanded that to include Mac® computers. We worked diligently to increase accessibility for people with disabilities and health-related needs. We increased test taker convenience by increasing testing capacity and reducing the registration deadline. We also addressed test takers’ needs to better understand the new delivery method and registration process by posting videos, developing registration checklists and hosting Facebook® Live events. And, as test centers began reopening around the world, we informed test takers that the decision to test at home or in a test center was theirs to make.
More than 400,000 individuals have registered to take the at home tests for the TOEFL iBT test and GRE General Test in 163 countries and territories since March. We have learned through surveys that many test takers prefer to test at home, and now they can choose whether testing at home or in a center will work best for them. As we move forward, we will continue to make further improvements in service to you and your prospective students.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support of ETS’s high-quality assessment solutions; your trust means the world to us. Should you wish to direct students to learn more, please suggest they visit the websites for TOEFL test takers and GRE test takers. For updates intended for institutions, visit the TOEFL and GRE pages created for you. And should you need ETS’s support during this time, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at TOEFLnews@ets.org or
Sincerely,
Srikant Gopal
Executive Director, TOEFL® ProgramAlberto Acereda
Executive Director, GRE® Program