Just before Thanksgiving, +0 Teacher received a plea for help from a student.
The situation is that this student took the GRE for the first time with a "just trying it out" mindset, without any preparation, and ended up with unsatisfactory scores: V131+Q161.
However, after three months of serious review, the student retook the test and improved their Verbal score by a full 19 points, achieving V150+Q161 on the second attempt.
Just as they were happily applying with a safety score, they received an email from ETS.
The email stated that because the score difference between the two tests was too large, it gave ETS sufficient grounds to reasonably suspect the scores. Based on this, there is a very high probability that ETS will cancel the test score from this attempt.
So, on what grounds does ETS justify denying the results of a student's hard work? According to their official statement, such cases generally occur under the following circumstances:
1. If the difference between the Verbal and Math scores, as well as the total scores, from two tests is too large, ETS will flag it. Based on this student's case and online reports, if the score difference exceeds 18 points, the likelihood of being suspected is high. However, some students with large differences have not been suspected. Why? See the second point.
2. ETS uses technology to closely monitor test-taking data, including the time spent on each question, accuracy, and combines this with the difficulty of each question to make a comprehensive judgment.
Caution: At this point, if a student has practiced some recall questions and happens to encounter the exact same ones on the test, it is very likely that even if the questions are inherently difficult, because they have done them before, they may answer in just a few seconds.
Combining these two situations, if a student encounters too many original recall questions on the test and "instantly selects" answers for certain questions, along with actual improvement from hard work, the score increase appears too pronounced. The chance of being suspected by ETS then becomes very high.
Additionally, ETS explicitly states that besides monitoring answer data and scores, both experimental and non-experimental questions are being monitored.
In the past, many students tried to figure out which section was experimental before the test, and then answered the experimental section carelessly. This is highly inadvisable. Not only is identifying the experimental section very risky, but if you answer carelessly, it is very likely to lead to your final score being canceled!
As for this student's current situation, they are only under suspicion; they have one chance to appeal and provide evidence to prove the authenticity of their test performance. ETS will then review the score again.
But unfortunately, the likelihood of a successful appeal is very small. The reason is that ETS officially claims there are two rounds of review for data monitoring. Since they have reasons to suspect foul play in scores, it indicates they already have very substantial evidence (yes, they are that confident).
ETS clearly states that if the appeal is successful, the score will be released. However, if the appeal is unsuccessful, ETS provides several options:
1. Have ETS cancel the score and receive a voucher to register for the next GRE exam.
2. Have ETS cancel the score and receive a full refund.
3. Still choose to send the scores to schools, but ETS will inform the schools that the score has been canceled, leaving the schools to decide whether the score is valid.
4. Request a member of the American Arbitration Association to review all materials and conduct arbitration (U.S. only).
Simply put, almost all students facing such a situation end up choosing to retake the GRE.
Caution: The four options above are the choices provided by ETS after reviewing the materials. However, students can also directly notify ETS to cancel the score upon receiving the email, and still obtain a voucher to register for the next test.
Just imagine, if after the review you are forced to cancel and then get a voucher for the next test, it's hard to say whether ETS will keep a record under your name.
At this point, a word of caution to all students: never take the GRE lightly. Study diligently and never have the mindset of "just try it once casually."
Additionally, recall questions can be beneficial, but everyone should treat them with caution. Especially during the exam, if you encounter original recall questions, read the questions carefully and don't actually "select instantly."
Finally, we hope everyone takes the GRE seriously, achieves their desired score smoothly, and gets into their dream school.
