Educational Testing Service (ETS): History, Organization, and Tests

Educational Testing Service, commonly known as ETS, is the world’s largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization. It was founded in 1947 by three organizations namely American Council on Education, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and College Entrance Examination Board. These three organizations thought there should be a nonprofit organization committed to educational research and assessment should be built. So they established ETS with the mission to advance the quality and equity of education around the world. Today, it focuses on the four core values of quality, integrity, social responsibility, and equity & opportunity.

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Since 2014, ETS has been led by President and CEO, Mr. Walt MacDonald. Mr. Jeffrey A. Sine of The Raine Group leads the ETS Board of Trustees. Currently, ETS employs approximately 3,200 employees around the globe who guarantee that clients and customers have access to the high-quality tools and services they demand to accomplish their goals.

The ETS ensures to produce only fair, valid, and reliable standardized tests. The tests they have developed are GRE, TOEFL, HiSET, PRAXIS, and TOEIC. These were made by the intuitive group of researchers, educational policy specialists, statisticians, and test developers.

Read more: History of GRE Test

What do you mean by ETS?

ETS stands for Educational Testing Service.

Where is Educational Testing Service (ETS) located at?

The Educational Testing Service is located at, 660 Rosedale Road, Princeton, NJ 08541 USA is the official address of the ETS Headquarters. ETS has 8 other offices located in the United States. The locations of ETS are listed below:

Austin, Texas
- Austin Office 400 West 15th, Suite 700 Austin, TX 78701 USA
Concord, California
- Educational Testing Service, 2731 Systron Dr, Concord, CA 94518
Ewing, New Jersey
- Educational Testing Service Ewing Office, 225 Phillips Blvd, Ewing Township, NJ 08618
Lawrence, Kansas
- Educational Testing Service Lawrence Office, 1202 E 23rd St suite d, Lawrence, KS 66046
Sacramento, California
- ETS Sacramento Office, 1600 K Street, Suite 4A, Sacramento, CA 95814 USA
San Antonio, Texas
- ETS San Antonio Office, 10999 IH 10 West, Suite 400, San Antonio, TX 78230 USA
San Francisco, California
- Educational Testing Service, 90 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105
Washington, D.C.
- Educational Testing Service, 1800 M St NW, Washington, DC 20036

ETS also has global offices located outside of the US. These subsidiary offices provide local support on registration, test scores, and other test-taker matters. The subsidiary ETS offices are located in the following countries and continents:

Canada
- Educational Testing Service, 133 Princess St, Kingston, ON K7L 1A8, Canada
ETS Global: Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia
- ETS Global B.V., Strawinskylaan 929, 1077 XX Amsterdam, The Netherlands

What is the contact number of ETS?

The contact numbers for the ETS are 1-609-771-7670 or 1-866-473-4373 are the contact numbers of ETS for general inquiries. 1-443-751-4820 or 1-800-473-2255 are the contact numbers for questions about the GRE registration. You may also proceed to the ETS Official Website to talk with Anita, the website’s digital assistant, for other inquiries. The contact numbers of ETS offices are listed below:

Austin, Texas
- 1-737-484-3800
Concord, California
- 1-925-808-2000
Ewing, New Jersey
- 1-609-921-9000
Lawrence, Kansas
- 1-785-856-3850
Sacramento, California
- 1-916-403-2402
San Antonio, Texas
- 1-210-558-5600
San Francisco, California
- 1-415-645-8442
Washington, D.C.
- 1-202-659-0616

The subsidiary ETS offices may be contacted in the following email addresses and contact form:

Canada
- contact-us@etscanada.ca
ETS Global BV: Europe, Middle East, and Africa
- Contact form: https://www.etsglobal.org/fr/en/contact/individual
- contact-emea@etsglobal.org
Asia Pacific specifically in China and Korea
- China: inquiry-china@etsglobal.org
- Korea: jdoh@etsglobal.org

What is the email address of ETS?

The email address for the ETS is communicatetestsecurity@ets.org.

What tests are developed and administered by ETS?

The test developed and administered by ETS are the GRE®, HiSET®, PRAXIS®, TOEFL® (Test of English as a Foreign Language), and TOEIC® (Test of English for International Communication).

The specific tests developed by ETS are listed below:

GRE Tests

GRE® General Test
GRE® Subject Tests

The HiSET® Exam

Praxis Tests

Praxis® Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests
Praxis® Subject Assessments
Praxis® Elementary Education: Content Knowledge for Teaching (CKT) Tests

TOEFL Tests

TOEFL iBT®
TOEFL® Essentials™
TOEFL Primary®
TOEFL Junior®
TOEFL ITP®

TOEIC Tests

TOEIC® Listening and Reading Test
TOEIC® Writing and Speaking Test
TOEIC Bridge® Tests

The tests offered by ETS are listed above. These tests differ in content, structure, test dates, location, and registration process. Be sure to check the details of each one to get the right test for your needs.

Read more: GRE Test Dates and Locations

Did ETS develop GRE?

Yes, the ETS developed the GRE, as well as other tests like TOEIC, TOEFL, Praxis, and HiSET Exam.

Read more: Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

What is the purpose of the GRE?

Assessment of the suitability of applicants and admission to graduate and professional schools is the main purpose of the GRE. It measures verbal reasoning skills, quantitative reasoning skills, analytical writing skills, and critical thinking skills.

What is the purpose of the HiSET Exam?

The purpose of the HiSET exam is to certify an applicant’s academic knowledge and skills as being equivalent to those of an average high school graduate. It is an opportunity for people to earn a high school equivalency credential. It is also an opportunity for adults to see their readiness for college and future careers. It measures proficiency level in the language arts (reading and writing), mathematics, science, and social studies.

What is the purpose of the Praxis Tests?

The purpose of the Praxis Test is to help prepare teachers to become certified and qualified educators. It measures the knowledge and skills an examinee needs to prepare for classroom teaching.

What is the purpose of the TOEFL tests?

The purpose of the TOEFL tests is evaluating the English proficiency of non-native English speakers.. It guides these people to learn the language and helps them achieve their academic goals at the university level. The exam is usually taken by international students.

What is the purpose of the TOEIC tests?

The purpose of the TOEIC tests it to determine who is capable of communicating effectively using the English language across different kinds of people. It is considered the global standard used to assess English-language proficiency in the workplace, so it tests communication across workers and clients.

What is the difference between GRE, TOEFL and TOEIC?

The GRE test assesses a test taker’s readiness for graduate-level coursework, whereas the TOEFL and TOEIC assess English language skills.

Read more: GRE vs. TOEFL

What is the difference between Praxis and GRE?

Praxis Tests are used by states to assess a test taker’s knowledge and skills as part of the teacher licensure and certification process while the GRE test is used to evaluate an applicant’s competency for graduate-level study in a variety of subject areas.

Read more: GRE vs. Praxis

What is the difference between HiSET and GRE?

The HiSET exam is designed to authenticate a candidate’s attainment of academic knowledge and skills similar to those of a high school graduate. This test issues a high school equivalency credential to those who failed to study secondary school. Meanwhile, the GRE is taken by students prior to enrolling in graduate school.

Read more: GRE vs. HiSET

Who is involved in the test’s development?

Test specialists, test reviewers, editors, teachers, and specialists in the subject or skill being tested are the professionals involved in developing ETS test items. Each question is reviewed multiple times by multiple professionals to obtain a high-quality item.

How does ETS develop tests and test questions?

Before ETS can develop a test, it goes through a complex process first. There are seven steps followed in developing tests and test questions. These are the following steps necessary in the testing industry to meet the highest standards for quality and fairness.

Identifying Objectives. Before anything else, ETS appoints dozens of professionals, including educators, professional associations, and licensing boards, to identify a need to develop a test. Once agreed, a test will be developed after answering the following questions:
Who will take the test and for what purpose?
What skills and/or areas of knowledge should be tested?
How should test takers be able to use their knowledge?
What kinds of questions should be included? How many of each kind?
How long should the test be?
How difficult should the test be?
Item Development Committees

After answering the questions, it is time to appoint item development committees. Their responsibilities include defining the objective and specifications of the test, making sure that the test items are unbiased, and deciding on the test format. The test format may be multiple-choice, constructed-response, computer-delivered, paper-based, essay, etc. Other responsibilities include examining supplemental test materials, reviewing test items written by ETS staff, and writing the test items.

Writing and Reviewing Questions. Two of the responsibilities of the item development committees are to write and review test questions. These test questions are reviewed and revised multiple times to make sure that there are no test errors. Possible errors include the questions not being concise, having more than one possible answer in the choices, and not conforming to the test format. In this step, the making of a scoring guide is also done. Scoring guides are used for subjective questions like essays, short written answers, and oral responses. This is to ensure that the scores will be accurate across test takers.
The Pretest. Now, it is time for the pilot testing. It is the process when the test questions are administered to a sample group. Take note that the sample group must meet the characteristics of the population for whom the test is intended. Sample characteristics are age, socioeconomic status, field of study, interests, career, etc. This step enables test developers to determine the difficulty of test questions and identify ambiguity. Then, more revisions will be made based on the obtained results. There may be questions and choices that need to be revised or eliminated.
Detecting and removing unfair questions. Standardized tests must be fair. In this step, tests must meet guidelines set by trained reviewers. Here, it must be proven that the test, test items, and others are not inappropriate. There shouldn’t be language, content, symbols, phrases, or words that are sexist, racist, or offensive. It is done through a thorough review as well as through statistics. This is a very important step for ETS because it is devoted to producing tests that would advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide.
Assembling the Test. Following the test’s assembly, it is reviewed by other specialists, committee members, and, in some cases, outside experts. Each reviewer independently answers all questions and gives a list of correct responses to the test developers. The lists are compared to the ETS answer keys to ensure that the desired answer is the correct answer. Before the exam is published, any discrepancies are rectified.
Make certain that the test questions function properly even after the test has been administered. The test development does not end after the assembly. The statisticians and test developers ensure that the tests are working as predetermined. Every question undergoes preliminary statistical analysis. If a problem is discovered, corrective action is taken before final scoring and score reporting.

ETS goes through all of these steps in developing a test to ensure a fair, valid, and reliable test. Time, hard work, and rigorous reviews – are all devoted by assessment specialists developing these standardized tests.

Does ETS develop practice tests?

Yes, ETS develops practice tests, too. In fact, there are some which are downloadable for free, while others may be bought for a very affordable price.

Did ETS develop SAT?

No, ETS did not develop the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Operation only, not ownership, was turned over to the organization by the College Board.

ETS and GRE scores

How much time does ETS take to send GRE scores?

ETS sends official GRE Scores after 10 to 15 days. The official scores will be available in the examinee’s ETS account at www.ets.org/login.

How long does it take for ETS to send GRE Scores to Universities?

ETS sends official GRE Scores to designated institutions after 10 to 15 days.

Read more: GRE Scores

Does ETS give free GRE practice tests?

Yes, ETS offers free GRE practice tests. These tests are called the POWERPREP® Practice Tests.

How many ETS GRE Practice Tests are there?

There are 2 official practise tests that ETS offers to test takers. The 2 free practice tests can be accessed in an examinee’s ETS Account under the Free POWERPREP® Online practice tests.

How to take the free GRE Practice Test from ETS?

To get the free GRE Mock Test from ETS, follow the steps below:”

Go to www.ets.org/login.
Create an ETS account and sign in.
Click “Shop for Test Preparation.”
Add the first 2 products, POWERPREP® Online – Practice Test 1 and POWERPREP® Online – Practice Test 2, to your cart.
Review your cart and click “Submit.”
Click the “My Test Preparation and Services” link on the order confirmation page.
Click “Go To Practice Test” in the “Action” column next to the test you would like to use.

Read more: GRE Practice Tests

What are the GRE POWERPREP® Practice Tests by ETS?

The GRE POWERPREP® Practice Test is a tool offered by ETS to assist test takers in understanding what is being tested, familiarizing themselves with question types and testing tools, practising test-taking strategies, and understanding scoring.

There are the GRE POWERPREP® mock tests designed by ETS. Listed below are these free practice tools:

POWERPREP® Test Preview Tool

The POWERPREP® Test Preview Tool helps students be acquainted with the GRE question types, exam features, and testing tools that are present in the actual GRE test. This is a free tool found in test takers’ ETS accounts.

POWERPREP® Online

The POWERPREP® Online is composed of two free practice tests that resemble the official test. This includes test-taker-friendly features, shifting answers within a section, and the on-screen calculator that will be encountered on the actual test.

The POWERPREP® Online also provides the following:

Extra breaks
Screen magnification
Selectable colors
Screen reader & refreshable braille compatibility

POWERPREP® Plus Online ($39.95 USD per practice test)

The POWERPREP® Plus Online is an official practice test designed by ETS. This consists of 3 never-before-published full-length practice tests. Compared to the practice tests above, the POWERPREP® Plus Online is paid per test as it offers more features like explanations for correct answers.

Read more: GRE Question Samples