Formed in 1947, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is a private educational testing and measurement organization headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. It builds assessments based on research and a focus on quality. ETS annually develops, administers, and scores tens of millions of tests in more than 180 countries. ETS also maintains ETS AI Labs.

ETS's reach expanded significantly in July 2026 when it completed its acquisition of ACT, one of the most widely recognized names in college and career readiness. The combined organization now reaches approximately 85 million people annually across assessment, credentialing, workforce readiness, and professional development.

Research & Development

ETS research and development efforts are focused on research to promote fairness and equity in learning, in four main areas:

• Teaching, learning, and assessment that responds to the social and cultural factors for U.S. learners
• Innovations in global English-language teaching, learning, and assessment
• Equity in global higher education admissions and learner success, and in workforce transition
• Innovations in testing and research methods

Assessment Tools

ETS research and development serve a range of assessment needs, including:

• Higher education admissions
  • Administers the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), used for graduate school admissions globally
• English-language proficiency
  • Administers the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), widely used for international academic and immigration purposes
• K-12 educator licensing
  • Administers the Praxis suite of teacher licensure assessments, the leading provider in this category nationally. In 2026, ETS launched Praxis Steps, a new modular capability within the Praxis program
• Workforce readiness
  • Administers WorkKeys, a widely used workforce readiness assessment used by millions of job seekers and employers nationwide
• Professional and industry certification
  • Credentialing solutions for a range of fields
• Career navigation and talent development
  • Offers FutureNav, a configurable talent and assessment tool used by employers and institutions for talent acquisition, upskilling, and reskilling decisions

ETS previously held a long-standing contract to develop and administer the SAT on behalf of the College Board, one of the most significant partnerships in American educational testing. That relationship ended when the College Board brought SAT development in-house. ETS's acquisition of ACT marks its re-entry into the college admissions testing market through a different vehicle, at a time when fewer than 10% of bachelor's degree-granting institutions required ACT or SAT scores during the 2026 admissions cycle.

Resources

ETS

ETS AI Labs