The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused chaos and uncertainty around the country, and just like everyone else the standardized testing community is affected. If you planned to take a standardized exam between March and June 2020, you may have received an update recently from your testing center either canceling or rescheduling the test date. 

To help students locate information regarding popular exams and testing centers, we’ve compiled a list of exams and center policies, including Prometric, ETS, Pearson VUE, College Board exams, and the ACT exam. We sourced the following information directly from each organization’s website, and will update this post weekly with changes and announcements.

Last updated: April 28, 2020

Testing Centers

The testing centers listed below have issued the following statements regarding canceling or rescheduling standardized exams.

Prometric

Update: April 27, 2020

“Prometric is continuing to assess the developments associated with the spread of the COVID-19 virus in countries around the world. We review daily the status of ordinances from local, state, and federal governments, as well as revised guidance from health policy organizations such as the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).  We are also in regular communication with those organizations that entrust us with the delivery of their licensure & certification programs. Our goal remains to provide these organizations and the people they represent with the most appropriate options for testing that provide for individual health, safety and well-being.

The following information represents the most recent updates regarding regional resumption of testing activities based on this review.

North America (U.S. and Canada)

In accordance with the changing local and federal governance and advice from the CDC and WHO, we have determined it is necessary to further extend the closure of test centers in the U.S. and Canada through May 31^st.  This applies to all testing programs, with the exception of essential services programs, which are still scheduled to resume in a limited capacity on May 1^st. Prometric is actively working with test sponsors to determine whose programs meet the criteria for “essential workforce” as defined by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

If your exam appointment is impacted by these closure extensions, you will receive an email notification informing you that your appointment has been canceled, and instructions for how to reschedule for a future date.  No rescheduling fees will be applied, and we are working with your exam sponsor to ensure all program requirements are met.  Please note that if you choose to contact Prometric for assistance, hold times may be extended due to the volume of individuals we are attempting to support.  We thank you for your patience.”

Source: https://www.prometric.com/corona-virus-update 

ETS

TOEFL

“ETS has expanded the availability of the TOEFL iBT^® Special Home Edition test to everywhere that TOEFL iBT testing is normally available, with the exception of Mainland China and Iran. In Mainland China, ETS is working closely with NEEA to accommodate test takers impacted by test cancellations, including adding test dates once regular testing resumes. We are working to offer at home testing in Iran as soon as possible.

The test is an at home testing solution for the TOEFL iBT test for students who have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Monitoring of the test will be conducted using live remote proctors and artificial intelligence technology by ProctorU^®, the leading proctoring solution for online testing.

The TOEFL iBT^® Special Home Edition test is identical in content, format, on-screen experience and scoring to the TOEFL iBT test taken at a test center. It is monitored online by a trained human proctor from start to finish to maintain test security.”

Learn more about the test and how to register.

GRE

“ETS has expanded the availability of at home testing for the GRE^® General Test to everywhere the computer-delivered GRE General Test is normally available, with the exception of Mainland China and Iran. In Mainland China, ETS is working closely with NEEA to accommodate test takers impacted by test cancellations, including adding test dates once regular testing resumes. ETS is working to offer at home testing to Iran as soon as possible.

At home testing for the GRE General Test is for students who have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Monitoring of the test will be conducted using live remote proctors and artificial intelligence technology by ProctorU^®, the leading proctoring solution for online testing.

The test is identical in content, format, on-screen experience and scoring to the GRE General Test taken at a test center. It is monitored online by a trained human proctor from start to finish to maintain test security.”

Learn more about the test and how to register.

HiSET

“In light of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), ETS wants test takers to be aware that the health and safety of the entire HiSET^®community is our first priority. We remain committed to sharing up-to-date information and supporting the needs of HiSET test takers.

Test centers currently reporting closures:

View the HiSET test center closure list.

These locations are closed in response to local public health concerns around COVID-19. These closures may affect your ability to test at your preferred location. As changes are happening almost daily, please continue to check this list for additional updates.

Seat Availability

Test centers remain open in some areas. Students can still schedule appointments for available dates on the Scheduling Your HiSET Exam page. We encourage all test takers and test centers to follow all local and state restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19.”

Praxis

“Due to health and safety concerns for test takers and test center staff stemming from the coronavirus outbreak, the Praxis^®program will offer the following options to all test takers:

• Waived fees for test rescheduling, if necessary
• Extended submission dates for the Spring 2020 administration for the PPAT^® assessment and PASL, if cooperating K–12 schools are closed for an extended time

ETS is working to make the rescheduling process as smooth as possible for test takers. Test centers do not need to be closed for test takers to reschedule their tests.”

Source: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/important-update/ 

Pearson VUE

“Some Pearson VUE-owned and operated Pearson Professional Centers are becoming available for testing in the United States.

Candidates can schedule their exams for appointments starting May 1^st and beyond if conditions allow.

Due to the varying availability of test centers, you should search for local test center availability before scheduling your exam. Find your exam program on the test-taker homepage, then log in to your account to search for a test center that’s open near you.

We will continue to deliver exams to any independent third-party test centers (PVTC and PVTC Selects) who still have the ability to operate within the United States. Due to the unpredictability of test center availability at this time, we encourage you to confirm your appointment with the scheduled test center in advance.”

Source: https://home.pearsonvue.com

NCLEX Essential Services Testing

“Test delivery at a subset of Pearson VUE test centers will commence on Wednesday, March 25. Please note, appointments are available on a first come, first served basis and availability is strictly limited. More appointments and test centers will be available as soon as possible based on staff availability, cleaning and disinfectant supplies, and local government guidance.

You can see test center availability when logged in to your online account. Only open test centers will appear in your search.

Not all test centers will be immediately open due to factors such as local government guidance, business operations, staff availability and the sufficient supply of cleaning and disinfectant materials. More test centers will be available as soon as possible based on staff availability, cleaning and disinfectant supplies, and local government guidance.”

Source: https://home.pearsonvue.com/nclex/essential-services

College Readiness Exams 

College Board and ACT have issued the following statements regarding canceling or rescheduling standardized exams.

SAT 

Update: June SAT and SAT Subject Test Administration

“To keep students safe, and in alignment with public health guidance and school closures across 192 countries, we will not be able to administer the SAT or SAT Subject Tests on June 6, 2020.

Future SAT Administrations, Including September 26

If it’s safe from a public health standpoint, we’ll provide weekend SAT administrations every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. This includes a new administration on September 26 and the previously scheduled tests on August 29, October 3, November 7, and December 5.

Students can register for these administrations starting in May. We’ll contact students directly during the week of May 26 to provide an exact date. Eligible students can register with a fee waiver.

For each administration, we’re preparing to significantly expand our capacity for students to take the SAT once schools reopen. We’re calling on our member schools and colleges, as well as local communities, to provide additional test center capacity so every student who wants to take the SAT can do so.

Students can get early access to register for August, September, and October if they’re:

• Already registered for June
• In the high school class of 2021 and don’t have SAT scores

March and May SAT Administrations

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, College Board canceled the May 2, 2020, SAT and SAT Subject Test administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled for March 28) were also canceled.

Students who already registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds.”

Source: https://pages.collegeboard.org/natural-disasters 

AP 

UPDATE: The AP Program is developing an at-home testing option.

“Complete your AP journey by taking your AP Exam online on any device you have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. You’ll also have the option to write your responses by hand and submit a photo.

The exams will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March. We know that some students have lost more class time than others, and we want to be fair to all students.

Like many college-level exams, this year’s AP Exams will be open book/open note. Get tips for taking open book/open note exams.

Most exams will have one or two free-response questions, and each question is timed separately. Students will need to write and submit their responses within the allotted time for each question.

For most subjects, the exams will be 45 minutes long, and include an additional 5 minutes for uploading. Students will need to access the online testing system 30 minutes early to get set up.

Students will be able to take exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. They will be able to either type and upload their responses or write responses by hand and submit a photo via their cell phone.

Students taking AP world language and culture exams will complete two spoken tasks consistent with free-response questions three and four on the current AP Exam; written responses will not be required. We’ll provide more details in the coming weeks to help students prepare.”

Source: https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students/taking-ap-exams 

CLEP 

“Test takers whose registration tickets expired on or after March 1 due to the impact of COVID-19 are eligible to receive a CLEP exam voucher that would allow them to take an exam any time between now and June 30th, 2021.

If you purchased a registration ticket that has expired, please contact CLEP Services by emailing clep@info.collegeboard.org with “Exam Voucher – Coronavirus” in the subject line or by calling 800-257-9558. When contacting CLEP, please include your name, address, telephone number, and CLEP exam subject.

Please note that these vouchers are for students who purchased their registration tickets. If you registered for your CLEP exam using a voucher code from your school or another entity, please contact the person who provided the original voucher.”

Source: https://clep.collegeboard.org/coronavirus-updates 

ACT 

“The safety of students and test center staff is ACT’s top priority. ACT has rescheduled its April 4 national test date to June 13 across the U.S. in response to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). All students registered for the April 4 test date will receive an email from ACT in the next few days informing them of the postponement and instructions for free rescheduling to June 13 or a future national test date.”

Source: https://www.act.org/content/act/en/covid-19.html 

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Related post: Social Distancing | How to Make the Most of Your Time at Home