ETS announced its GRE at-home service in 2020 amidst the Covid breakout. At the time, students looking to apply to graduate school needed a quick alternative as test centers had been shut down. In only six weeks, the home version of the test was ready and available to students worldwide.
The at-home test is identical to the regular GRE in every aspect. The format, scoring, time duration, and difficulty are all the same across the two tests. The only difference is in the way they are delivered. The regular test is conducted at a test center as usual, whereas the at-home test is delivered via Proctor U.
Initially, the home version of the test was very well received by test-takers worldwide. It allowed people to take the test even when all else had been shut down. However, it wasn’t long before reports of fraudulent activity surfaced online, which prompted speculations regarding the test’s credibility.
One concern to come out of all this was whether universities would accept at-home GRE scores, given the cheating scandal.
In this Article
Is the GRE at-home accepted for admissions?
Yes. ETS has been adamant about the acceptance of the home version of the test. Any institution that accepts the regular GRE also welcomes the home test. No university has explicitly said that they don’t accept the home version of the test.
In fact, ETS states that: “Any school that accepts the GRE General Test taken at a test center will also accept the GRE General Test taken at home.”
Hence, there is no reason for you to doubt the test’s credibility as far as universities are concerned. You should take whichever test is more convenient for you. Both tests are the same.
Would a university know if I have taken the home-test?
No. If you are still worried about your test scores’ validity, it will relieve you to know that there is no indication on your score report regarding which test you took.
A university will have no way to tell if your scores are from the regular test or the home test. Even if a university wanted to ban the at-home test, they would have no way of discerning the two tests. The reason for this is simple. ETS treats both tests the same way. They are identical tests with no differences whatsoever.
According to ETS::
Q. Will, there be an indication on my score report that I took the test at home?
A. No. Your GRE score report will not indicate that you took the test at home.
What brought the test’s validity into question?
The concern surrounding the test’s validity came about due to reports of cheating online. A few months after the home test was released, certain people figured out the home test vulnerabilities and managed to bypass the system.
The at-home GRE is delivered on a program called Proctor U. All you need to take the test at home is either a PC or laptop, a webcam, a speaker, and a mic. When the test begins, a human proctor is assigned to you who supervises the test via your webcam feed.
Moreover, the proctor can see your screen, and the program is also capable of detecting third-party programs. You are not allowed to open any other program on your computer. If you do, your test will be canceled.
However, cheating is made possible because there is no in-person monitoring like there is in a test center. While ETS maintains that their delivery method for the home test is unbreachable, cheating is possible nonetheless.
Since the webcam on your laptop gives a partial view of the room, the proctor can’t know who else snuck in.
The room can also have multiple entrances, or other people could hide in a wardrobe or the washroom and get out once the test is underway.
However, the most significant vulnerability is that you could mirror your screen to another room using a long HDMI cable hooked to an HDMI splitter.
This way, test-takers can use their friends’ help to see the questions on screen, solve them, and stealthily pass them on to the test-taker.
Will ETS take-down the at-home test in the future?
Initially, ETS had planned on releasing the test temporarily until the pandemic ended. However, due to immense feedback from people worldwide, ETS has decided to offer it indefinitely.
The at-home test is now part of ETS’s product portfolio and will stay around even after the pandemic.
Should I take the at-home test or the regular test?
It all depends on your preferences. Usually, I advise all students to opt for the at-home test since it’s a lot more convenient and risk-free concerning covid. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t take the home test unless you didn’t have the required equipment or an internet connection.
There are pros and cons to both the tests, but the at-home test easily comes ahead when you compare them both.
- You have more freedom in choosing the date and time of the test.
- You don’t have to drive to the test center.
- You get to take the test in a familiar setting.
- You stay safe from covid.
- You don’t have to leave early for the test center.
You can read about the pros and cons of both tests in detail in my article here.