Accessibility With Standardized Testing- My Experience Trying to Get Accommodations For the GRE

The GRE is a graduate school standardized test that many graduate schools require, despite evidence that the test is inaccessible for disabled people, not shown to be effective, and expensive to study for. This week, I want to speak out against the GRE by providing a sample from an opinion paper I wrote for a summer class.

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The GRE is a three-part graduate school admissions standardized test, similar to the SATs for undergraduates, that assesses written analysis, verbal reasoning, and quantitative analysis. This test takes approximately 2 hours to complete and is graded on a scale of 340 points. I will be taking the GRE in August of 2025, and have been struggling to find time to study due to some other opportunities I am preparing for and two summer classes. For disabled test takers, there is a process to request accommodations.

Currently, the GRE accommodates individuals with autism, ADHD, psychiatric disabilities, diabetes, blindness, deafness, and physical disabilities with test-taking accommodations (Educational Testing Service, 2024). The accommodations approval process includes determining the severity of the disability, the types of accommodations needed, and filling out the proper documentation. Listed accommodations include extended time on tests, screen adjustments, assistance with an aide, and extra breaks for snacks or bathroom access. Once documentation is completed, accommodations can be made after 4-6 weeks. Specific disabilities do not need extensive documentation and instead can be filled out using a certification of eligibility. This form can be used for disabilities verified by workplaces or colleges.

However, one significant problem with this form is that it requires documentation to be completed within the last five years (Educational Testing Service, 2024). I was diagnosed with autism at 18 months and have not been reassessed. This means that I do not meet the requirements set out by the GRE to get extended test-taking time (Educational Testing Service, 2024). Doctors’ notes are only accepted if signed on official letterhead with listed qualifications specializing in the disability within the last five years (Educational Testing Service, 2024).

This means I cannot get accommodations for hereditary spastic paraplegia unless I travel to Michigan, as the leading specialist for hereditary spastic paraplegia is in Michigan (University of Michigan Health, 2024). Even though I consider myself very disabled through multiple identities and regularly attend services for my health, I am unable to get accommodations for the GRE due to the requirements outlined by the Educational Testing Service (Educational Testing Service, 2024).

If I need a bathroom break, extended time, temperature changes due to leg cramps, or any other accommodation, I won't be able to get those accommodations for this exam. It isn't because I am not truly disabled- I am very open about my many disabilities and how they affect me. Instead, it is because the Educational Testing Service does not have a modern understanding of real disability documentation, application, and the amount of energy that goes into proving you are disabled. Now, I have to study for a test that I already don't feel confident in, because I'm unable to get accommodations. This process isn't fair because people without disabilities don't have to prove themselves, and can schedule an at-home test within 24 hours if they so choose, while someone with a disability has to hope a review board will believe them. I have nothing to gain by lying about a disability, but I have a lot of risk by not having outdated documentation requirements.

I hope that by sharing this, we can start to rethink the requirements in education spaces to prove disability beyond what is reasonable.

Thank you for reading about inaccessibility with the GRE as I prepare to take it at the end of August. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!