Educational Testing ServiceReviews of ets.org

The worst company, yet it monopolized the testing game

Dieses Unternehmen ist einfach nur eine Katastrophe! Es ist eine Schande, dass europäische Universitäten dieses US-amerikanische, kapitalistische unternehmen als Standard für quantitative und sprachliche Kompetenzen gesetzt haben. Wo bleibt bei circa 500€ für eine Bewerbung die Chancengleichheit? Der Kundenservice ist ein Witz und bei Aufforderung, den Personalausweis per Mail zu verschicken, gibt es mit der GSGVO mit Sicherheit keine Berührungspunkte. Nachdem man bereits so viel Geld bezahlt hat, kostet jede Versendung an die Uni weitere 26€. Was ein Witz! Sollte das nicht in dem Preis von 250€ bereits enthalten sein? So oder so kann man sich nur eine europäische Kopie dieser Tests wünschen!

It's insane how they can charge so much for such a simple test and the worst part is that there aren't much alternatives. The test experience as well is pretty damn bad, uncomfortable and unreliable due to the bad tech implementation. Horrible experience.

Absolutely terrible experience taking the GRE at home. The process was disorganized from the start: the administrative setup alone took 20 minutes, moving the camera back and forth repeatedly, and then mid-writing, the exam dropped due to technical issues. The proctor stopped me twice, claiming she could not see my face and only my hands typing. At one point, my proctor was suddenly switched without warning, forcing me to start over. By the end, I had to call the proctor four times before she returned, and when I told her I was finished, she simply said, “Oh, okay.” This experience was not only exhausting and disorganized but a total distraction from the main reason I was there: to take the GRE. I was unable to focus on the exam itself because all my energy went into complying with constantly changing proctor requirements. ETS needs to seriously address how these at-home tests are administered—this was unacceptable. I highly recommend doing it in-seat until the proctor at home isues are addressed.

ZERO. STAY AWAY. STAY AWAY STAY AWAY. ETS cancelled my TOEFL scores with ZERO evidence. These companies are preying on immigrants who have no recourse. I took the TOEFL iBT Home Edition. English isn't my first language but I'm fluent. I live in Canada, work in English, function in English every day. I took the test, scored pretty low in reading (who tf knows why? Probably my ADHD ass) but I felt fine about all other sections. Then I got this email: > Your TOEFL iBT® Home Edition scores could not be reported because your Writing response did not reflect the assigned task, or it contained ideas, language and/or examples found in published sources or other test takers' responses. They're accusing me of plagiarism. I didn't use any templates. I didn't prepare with any courses. I wrote from my own head. If they bothered to check my screen they would see me typing in a very normal fashion. I asked for evidence. Nothing. I asked what my writing "matched." Nothing. Just a vague accusation and cancelled scores. So let me get this straight: - I paid over $258 USD for this test - I completed it legitimately - ETS cancelled my scores based on ???? God knows what? - They won't tell me what I supposedly plagiarized - They keep my money I am grateful to be able to afford another test with IELTS, so my application is not in danger. But I am fuming. FUMING!!!! Stay away from ETS. They're a bunch of thieves. Incompetent "investigators". Incompetent customer service. I wish them HELL.

Reporting Two Terrible Test-Taker Experiences, separately: 1) On Toelf iBT speaking test, they gave me an unfair score that is at least ~5 points lower than what I should be awarded to. But they refused to make a review for the score (despite that I requested score-review immediately after being alerted). Though I am the test taker who can score full score on each four of the TOELF iBT session. 2) My GRE account was unable to login almost immediately after me taking the test online. And then I wrote to them several emails repeatedly demanding assistance without seeing any replies for more than a year. one star is for the quality of the test materials.

The at-home test is a complete scam. They outsource everything, including their proctoring, to India. So I tried to take a GRE and it took almost an hour of setup with an incomprehensible proctor. I got so frustrated and it ruined my ability to take the test, so I left without starting and requested a voucher for a local testing center instead. GRE flat out denied that and refused to refund my $220. I threatened to dispute the $220 charge with my bank for services not rendered, and they threatened to blacklist me. Basically they can never let you take the GRE again and will refuse to release the scores to universities that you already have. They have a complete and total monopoly over this and couldn’t care less about it. They claim to be an American company in New Jersey, but good luck talking to a single American. I got an unintelligible Indian proctor whose name I can’t remember, then I spent days emailing and talking to various inept customer service representatives such as: Akhileshwara E., Khajaarif U., Nanditha M., Mohmmed R., plus another on the phone who was also Indian and who’s name I couldn’t spell if I tried. Just an all-around terrible business that wouldn’t exist if not for their total monopoly on the tests.

I had an incredibly frustrating experience with ETS regarding my TOEFL iBT test on September 27, 2025. After completing the exam, I had to go straight to the hospital due to a severe migraine with aura (ICD-10 G43.1), which affected my ability to perform properly during the test. I immediately contacted ETS the next day, submitted medical documentation, and requested that my scores be canceled, as I was not able to complete the test under fair conditions. Instead of offering understanding or support, ETS refused to honor my request. They insisted that since I completed the test and reported my scores, no exceptions could be made, even though I had a verified medical emergency. Their response was cold and dismissive, and they made it clear that they wouldn’t entertain further inquiries on the matter. I was left feeling completely unheard and unsupported, despite providing all the necessary documentation. It’s incredibly frustrating to be told that your medical situation doesn't matter, especially when you’re trying to do the right thing by contacting them immediately after the test. The lack of flexibility or empathy in such a situation is unacceptable. I expected much better from an organization that claims to care about fairness. If you find yourself in a medical emergency during your test, I would not count on ETS for any help. They refuse to accommodate even the most well-documented and urgent cases. I’ll definitely be looking for other testing options in the future.