PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Aug 7, 2002--In response to security breaches, Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced it will temporarily suspend the computer-based Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test and reintroduce paper-based versions in China, including Hong Kong; Taiwan, China; Korea, beginning Oct. 1, 2002.
Test takers in these countries will be able to take a paper-based version of the exam on Nov. 23, 2002 and March 15, 2003.
ETS is undertaking the change at the request of the GRE Board, the policy setting body of the examination, following an investigation that uncovered a number of Asian- language Web sites offering questions from live versions of the computer-based GRE General Test.
The Web sites included both questions and answers illegally obtained by test takers who memorize and reconstruct questions and share them with other test takers. The Web sites are located in the China and Korea, and easily accessed in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
An extensive investigation covering more than 40 countries showed security breaches occurring only in these areas. Research also indicated that the TOEFL and GMAT tests are unaffected by the security breaches.
The GRE Board and ETS believe the use of paper-based versions of the GRE General Test will restore the validity of scores for students in these countries. Once the paper-based tests are administered they will be retired from use, thereby removing the unfair advantage some students gain by memorizing questions in advance of the test.
''This is an example of how the illegal actions of some students to raise their scores hurt honest test takers,'' explained John Yopp, vice president of ETS`s Graduate and Professional Education Division. ''It`s a fairness issue. American graduate deans know that Asian students are highly educated and well prepared for study in the United States and they want and value these students on their campuses. Unfortunately, they currently have no way of knowing whether those GRE scores have been earned through hard work and study or illegally through Web sites.''
Individuals scheduled to take the computer-based GRE General Test in these areas prior to Oct. 1, 2002, will have the option of transferring to the paper-based administration of the test. Registration details for the paper-based tests will be announced at a later time.
For students concerned that their recent GRE General Test scores will not be considered valid for admission to American higher education, the GRE Board has reaffirmed that admission decisions are not made solely on the basis of test scores. It has reiterated that graduate deans must continue to consider GRE scores as just one part of the admission package submitted by students.
Scores on the test will have to be supported by grade transcripts, essays, letters of recommendation from teachers, and other information.
About the GRE Board
The Graduate Record Examinations, first administered in 1937, were an outgrowth project funded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The GRE Board consists of 19 appointed members - four Association of Graduate Schools appointees, four Council of Graduate Schools appointees, and 11 at-large appointees.
In addition, the president of CGS is ex officio a member of the board, along with the immediate past chair of the GRE Board. The program is run in consultation with Educational Testing Service. Additional information is available on the GRE Web site at www.gre.org.
About ETS
With estimated consolidated revenues of $700 million for FY 2002, Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the world`s largest private, nonprofit educational testing and measurement organization and a leader in education research. The company is dedicated to serving the needs of individuals, educational institutions, and government bodies in nearly 200 countries.
ETS develops and administers more than 12 million tests worldwide. For more information, access the ETS Web site at www.ets.org.
ETS also operates two subsidiaries: Chauncey Group International, www.chauncey.com, the leading provider of certification and licensing examinations for professionals, businesses, and government agencies; and ETS Technologies, www.etstechnologies.com, which identifies, develops and deploys innovative technologies in support of online learning and assessment applications.
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