Students who take the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) will now be able to access their scores earlier than usual thanks to a new phone service set up by the Educational Testing Service.

By calling 1-800-GRE-5056, anyone who took the test Oct. 14 can get their scores in mid-November. The phone information will be available about one week before all students receive their results by mail.

Kevin Gonzalez, communication services official for ETS, said information about the new service was provided to test-takers in October, and there was an immediate interest.

“People began to call almost immediately,” Gonzalez said.

The cost of the service is $10, which pays for the call and the start-up costs. The call is optional and can be charged on American Express, VISA or MasterCard.

Callers must use a touch-tone phone and give their name and social security number.

“It is not offered by Internet because the Internet is not secure,” Gonzalez said.

The next GRE will be administered Dec. 9. Information on “Scores-by-Phone” will be sent out to those test takers with their admission tickets.