Testing provider ETS has announced it will add the TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition it rolled out in response to the coronavirus pandemic to its permanent product portfolio.
Earlier in 2020, ETS introduced the home solution while in-person testing was halted due to the global health pandemic.
“We informed test takers that the decision to test at home or in a test centre was theirs to make”
The TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition will be renamed the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, and aims to meet the needs of institutions and test takers, the provider stated.
“Seven months ago, ETS and the TOEFL® Programme announced that we had quickly introduced a solution for students who had been impacted by the coronavirus to take the TOEFL iBT test at home until in-person testing could resume,” executive director of the TOEFL Programme Srikant Gopal said.
“Since launching the home edition in March, we have learned a lot, and have been making continuous improvements to the product and experience,” Gopal added.
“Early on, the test was only available on PCs, but we quickly expanded that to include Mac® computers.”
The at-home edition has the same content, format, on-screen experience and scoring as test centre exams, and live, online AI-supported human proctors ensure tests are administered securely and scores are reliable, Gopal explained.
“As test centres began reopening around the world, we informed test takers that the decision to test at home or in a test centre was theirs to make,” he said.
Since March, 10,000s of individuals in 163 countries and territories have successfully taken the test, and ETS surveys have found that half of the test-taking population prefers the at home option.
Testing appointments are currently available 24 hours a day, four days a week through the end of January, and future appointments will be available soon, ETS noted.
“As we move forward, we will continue to make further improvements in service to you and your prospective students,” Gopal concluded.
