Educational Testing ServiceReviews of ets.org

I had a very bad experience with ETS. My TOEFL Home Edition test disconnected near the end because of their system, and my score was cancelled even though I did nothing wrong. For almost two months, after sending dozens of emails, making multiple phone calls, and repeatedly chatting with their customer service, ETS still ignored my case. They kept giving me copy-paste replies and transferring me between departments without providing any real help. I kept asking for a refund, but they never refunded me or offered any proper solution. Only after I filed a BBB complaint, they suddenly offered me a makeup test ,but by that time, I had already missed my university deadlines, so it was useless for me. When I rejected the makeup test and continued the complaint, ETS finally refunded my money , and even then, they didn’t refund the full amount at first. I had to follow up again to get the rest. Very unprofessional and stressful experience. I had to fight for weeks just to get my own money back.

J'ai posé ma matinée pour faire le test chez moi car impossible de le faire au bureau. On ne m'a pas prévenu que ce serait l'examen, Listening, speaking, reading et writing, je pensais que ce serait listening/reading. Tout ça pour me refuser le score car selon eux j'ai pris des notes ce qui est absolument faux. Le site à buggé pendant la partie speaking, ils ne veulent rien entendre, ne propose aucun remboursement ni aucune solution. Ne passez pas par ets global c'est une perte de temps et d'argent.

Unfortunally 0 stars is not an option. This is the biggest fraud of a company that somehow got the monopoly of testing for school certifications. They will not give your money back or provide a different testing date if you are beginning your test and something happens to your internet or computer. I'm still fighting the charges! This organization should be put out of business. Absolutely 100%, hands down, the worst business with which I've done business. I' have asked for my chat threads multiple times so that I can send it to my credit card company. They just igonore it. I have not been successful finding a phone number...everything is done by email...and while getting ready to take the test, the Proctors have such broken English that it adds to the frustrations. The Department of Education should be ashamed for using EST to conduct their Praxis exams!

1 étoile parce que je suis obligé de sélectionner au minimum une pour écrire ce message. Pour une mise en contexte, j’ai passé le TOEFL mi-octobre et, non satisfaite de mon résultat, je décide de booker une nouvelle date. Mais 5 min après avoir booké ma session, j’annule ma commande par erreur. Je reçois donc dans l’immédiat un mail m’informant que je vais recevoir 50 % de ma commande. Pour rappel, le TOEFL coûte 200 €, ce qui signifie donc que le site me garde 100 € !! Je peux entendre que j’ai fait une erreur et que j’aurais dû faire attention à ce sur quoi je clique, mais je pense que nous sommes encore humains et que les erreurs existent. J’appelle donc dans l’immédiat le site pour leur expliquer ma situation et leur dire que je ne voulais pas annuler, que c’était une ERREUR, et que j’apprécierais qu’ils me fassent un avoir de 100 € pour que je puisse booker une nouvelle date, ou du moins qu’ils annulent mon annulation de commande. Malheureusement, les personnes que j’ai eues au téléphone, que je soupçonne d’ailleurs fortement d’être des robots, me répètent sans cesse qu’il s’agit de leur politique et que pour toute annulation à plus de 4 jours de la date de session, le remboursement s’effectue à hauteur de 50 % de la commande. À noter que nous sommes le 1er novembre et que j’ai booké pour le 27 décembre, soit dans 2 mois. J’estime donc que l’on peut quand même différencier les personnes qui annulent à 4 jours de leur session des personnes qui annulent LITTÉRALEMENT 5 MINUTES APRÈS AVOIR COMMANDÉ... Ils ne veulent rien entendre !!! Je demande à parler à des managers, idem, même réponse et encore une fois voix très monotone, toujours la même phrase mot pour mot... ROBOTS ?? Bref, service client déplorable. Je trouve ça triste puisque je suis étudiante, je travaille pour payer mes études et 100 € reste pour moi une somme significative... Bref, ils savent bien jouer de leur monopole et voler l’argent des gens... Félicitations. Je tiens également à ajouter que les numéros fournis pour le service client sont affichés sur leur site comme gratuits... encore une fois mensonge, on a été prélevé d’une somme au titre d’un hors forfait téléphonique...

I took the TOEFL Home Edition test over a month ago, and the test was suddenly disconnected near the end due to a technical issue. Since then, I’ve sent multiple emails and called three times but no one has given me a clear answer. ETS keeps redirecting me between the general support team and the Test Taker Advocacy Team, and I still haven’t received my results, a refund, or even a chance to retake the test. This experience has been extremely stressful and disappointing. As an international test taker who needed this result for a university deadline, I expected professionalism and transparency,,unfortunately, I got neither

Booked the wrong date, tried to cancle immidiately. They said there is no full refund. I payed the 350,39$ and havent gotten the extremely low refund amount they offer. Email support is terrible, live chat can't help either. Still waiting for my refund after two months. SCAM, be aware

Don't take the TOEFL test if you have options since you could be paying for nothing. My 17 yo son took the test in an accredited test center. There were 3 students in the room, under strict control. My son did not do the test from his bedroom! TOEFL decided that there were inconsistencies and invalidated the test. We don't know why, ETS did not provide any explanation and only sent standard language saying that in accordance with their policy they have the right to invalidate tests with no appeal right for us, no refund (and no explanation). This is completely unfair because my son did nothing wrong. We lost USD300, and a month for university application. The damage is huge, and ETS does not explain. So we could do the test again at our own costs, and have it invalidated again!!! Outreageous. A total scam

In the following, you can read my writing assignment for the TOEFL Home Edition. I tried to stay under 150 words and within 20 minutes, as following the rules is important. Please also check my grammar and expression, since they seriously affect the test results: Like any other participant, I applied for the test because I had to. I have dreams — I want to study abroad, and like every other student in my situation, my dreams wouldn’t come true without the “non-profit” organization ETS. (Why non-profit, you ask? Well, there’s one big advantage compared to a profit-oriented company: they don’t pay taxes on their profits. Quite inspiring, isn’t it?) If you don’t trust my opinion, here’s a voice from history: “[…] critics say it has transformed into a highly competitive business operation that is as much a multinational monopoly as a nonprofit institution — one capable of charging hefty fees, laying off workers and using sharp elbows in competing against rivals; even as it edges more toward large, competitive company, it remains nonprofit organization--status critics say gives it unfair advantage; mounting criticism has rekindled debate over whether it deserves nonprofit status, which has exempted it from tens of millions of dollars in Federal income taxes, or same as major foundation or charity” — The New York Times, 1997. Anyway, test day — 8:30 a.m., my apartment. Perfectly prepared, according to the handbook of academic obedience. I ran the device check, completed two practice tests (extra cost, of course — ambition has its price), simulated the setup with my second device, arranged my desk, and finally met my proctor: a very friendly Indian woman who would soon know my apartment better than I do. They supervise your test almost like a one-way Zoom meeting — they have access to everything: your screen, your webcam, and your second device camera. I didn’t expect what came next. I thought that paying almost €400 would ensure excellent service and user experience. I was wrong. My proctor was so friendly as to help me clean almost my entire apartment. I thought I was well prepared — I had read the instructions carefully: no items on the desk, one camera showing the entrance, and many more. Without boring you with all the details, I had to rearrange nearly my whole apartment: moving desks, replacing my ergonomic seat (which wasn’t allowed), removing items from, above, and under the desk and my shelf — even within a 1.5-meter radius. Everything suddenly became a suspect in a crime of potential dishonesty. Honestly, I’m a bit traumatized by this experience. This unknown woman had full insight into my private space and forced me to rearrange everything just to meet the strict rules of the test. My apartment was a total mess afterwards. I mean, how could I possibly cheat with a glass of water, a blank sheet of paper, or my ergonomic seat? I respect rules. I understand the need for fairness and standardization. But this process was so exhausting that it visibly affected my performance. You start with Reading, then Listening, Speaking, and Writing. For the first section, I scored only 16 out of 30, but after calming down during the second, I reached 28 out of 30. I’m not entirely convinced about the fairness of these conditions. Now I’m waiting for the rest of my results. I hope this writing assignment earns me some extra points — even though I spent an hour too long writing it and ended up with more than 600 words. I guess I’m just too emotional about this forced scam. Still, I’m sure it will somehow help my future career.