- Organisation asserts that these centers are outfitted with cutting-edge amenities and follow rigorous test security measures to guarantee a smooth examination process
ETS, a nonprofit organisation that focuses on educational assessment, research and measurement, has recently announced its plans to establish test centers for the TOEFL and GRE exams in the Kashmir valley.
These centres will be located at Hashtag Educational Services in the Regal Chowk area of Srinagar. The decision to set up these centres in such a central location is aimed at providing convenient access to individuals taking these exams.
This development marks a significant milestone, as it’s the first time that a global assessment organisation has established a dedicated testing facility in this region.
Previously, students from the Kashmir Valley had to travel to Punjab to take the TOEFL or GRE exams. The new test centers are designed to provide a modern and secure testing environment, in line with stringent test security protocols set by ETS. These measures are put in place to ensure a smooth and reliable testing experience for both TOEFL and GRE test takers.
In addition to this initiative, ETS India intends to expand its involvement in the Kashmir region by collaborating with local agents and educational institutions. The goal is to provide support to students in the area who are pursuing their education abroad.
On a related note, ETS recently introduced a series of changes and updates to the TOEFL exam. Among these changes is a reduction in the test duration by one hour. This has been achieved by introducing a new task called ‘Writing for an Academic Discussion,’ which replaces the previous independent writing task.
Additionally, the reading section has been made shorter and unscored test questions have been eliminated. The registration process has also been simplified.
Notably, test takers will now receive information about their official score release date after completing the exam, along with real-time notifications regarding any changes to their score status.