Indian students writing the GRE or TOEFL examinations will be allowed to use their Aadhaar cards as identification proof from July 1. Making the announcement, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) said on Tuesday that many students have faced difficulties in getting passports due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
The ETS conducts both the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), standardised tests which are an admission requirement for many universities in the United States and elsewhere. According to the ETS website, a passport is the only accepted identification proof so far for those taking the tests in India.
“With most cities in India facing some form of restriction due to imposed lockdowns, students are not able to apply for a passport or even renew their existing passports,” said Ray Nicosia, Executive Director of the Office of Testing Integrity at ETS. “Since the Aadhaar Card is now one of the most widely accepted forms of identification in India, we are confident that accepting this form of ID will be helpful for Indian students who are interested in registering for TOEFL and GRE tests.”
This is a temporary measure, which comes into effect from July 1 and will apply until further notice, according to an ETS statement. It will be applicable for the TOEFL and GRE General home-based tests which have become popular during the pandemic, as well as the Internet-based tests conducted at designated centres. It will also apply to the new TOEFL Essentials Test which ETS will start offering from August 21, as well as the GRE Subject Tests, beginning from October 2021.
