10/27/97 IT'S MUCH SLOWER WITH A COMPUTER

IT'S MUCH SLOWER WITH A COMPUTER

TEST ANXIETY COULD BE particularly acute this fall for thousands of business-school applicants. They face delays in taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test, which is now given only on special computer terminals. People must make appointments for available computer time at the 470 test sites worldwide.
But the Educational Testing Service says that it underestimated the test-taker demand in such cities as New York. The situation is even worse in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe: In Moscow, the wait for a test date is four months.
For would-be MBAs, the result is a big headache. Many have been told to find other test centers or make a later appointment. Fred Gross, 25, a currency options trader, couldn't get a date in Manhattan until November, so he's trekking 35 miles to Verona, N.J., to do it this month.
ETS assures computer test-takers that their results will be back in time for January application deadlines. You find out your score right after you finish, but getting certified results sent to admissions officers takes two weeks. The ETS is trying to remedy the shortages by shipping extra computers and by extending the hours at test sites.
EDITED BY LARRY LIGHT
Carol Matlack and Nadav Enbar