TL;DR: At a test center, bring one government-issued photo ID with signature and nothing else. Everything else goes in a locker. The current GRE runs under 2 hours with no scheduled breaks. Unofficial Verbal and Quant scores appear on screen immediately after you choose to report. AWA scores take 8-10 days. At-home testing requires IDVaaS verification 72 hours before your test for appointments after March 31, 2026.
Test day has two completely different sets of logistics depending on whether you are testing at a center or at home. Both end the same way: unofficial Verbal and Quant scores displayed on screen immediately after the test. Analytical Writing scores arrive later.
Know what to expect before the day arrives so you spend zero mental energy on logistics during the test.
Testing at a Test Center
Before You Leave Home
Bring one valid government-issued ID with your photo and signature. That is the only item you need in your hand at check-in. Everything else goes into a locker.
If you are testing outside your home country, a passport is required. A driver's license or national ID is accepted within your home country as long as it has both a photo and a signature. No photocopies. No digital IDs on a phone. The physical document only.
Your name on the ID must match exactly what is on your ETS registration. If you recently changed your name and your ID reflects the new name but your ETS account does not, update your ETS account before test day.
Leave early. Arriving stressed after a rushed commute is an avoidable problem. Most centers ask you to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before your appointment time.
Check-In
Staff will verify your ID, photograph you, and have you sign in. You will be required to store all personal belongings in a locker. This includes:
- Phone
- Watch (all watches, including analog)
- All other personal electronics
- Food and drink
- Your own scratch paper, pens, or pencils
- Bags
You will not have access to any of these items during the test itself. However, if you need to access food or medication from your locker, you can request to do so. This is permitted, but you cannot bring those items into the testing room.
Face masks are optional at test centers.
In the Testing Room
Staff will escort you to your station. The facility provides scratch paper. You may ask for additional sheets during the test by turning in the pages you have already used. You do not keep used scratch paper.
You will have scratch paper, a computer workstation, and nothing else. No outside notes, no personal items, no food or drink in the testing room.
The Test Itself
Since the September 2023 update, the GRE runs approximately 1 hour and 58 minutes of testing time, plus check-in. There are no scheduled breaks. The test has five sections:
- Analytical Writing (one Issue essay, 30 minutes)
- Verbal Reasoning Section 1 (12 questions, 18 minutes)
- Verbal Reasoning Section 2 (15 questions, 23 minutes)
- Quantitative Reasoning Section 1 (12 questions, 21 minutes)
- Quantitative Reasoning Section 2 (15 questions, 26 minutes)
That is 54 questions plus one essay. Analytical Writing is always first. The order of Verbal and Quant sections after that can vary.
The test is section-level adaptive. Your performance on the first Verbal section determines the difficulty of the second Verbal section. The same applies to Quant. This is not question-level adaptive, so you can move forward and backward within a section during the allotted time.
After the Test: Viewing and Reporting Scores
Immediately after finishing, you will see a screen asking whether you want to report or cancel your scores. You have approximately two minutes to decide.
If you report: your unofficial Verbal and Quantitative scores appear on screen immediately. These are the scores you walked out with. They may differ from your official scores by a point in rare cases, but they are almost always identical.
If you cancel: your scores are not reported to you or to any programs. ETS offers a score reinstatement option within 60 days for a fee, but once you leave the testing center without reporting, the scores are gone unless reinstated.
Analytical Writing scores are not displayed immediately. They are scored by a combination of human raters and an automated system and take 8 to 10 days to finalize.
Official scores, including AW, are available in your ETS account 8 to 10 days after your test date.
Testing at Home
The Day Before
For tests booked after March 31, 2026, you must complete IDVaaS identity verification 72 hours before your test. Watch for the email from ETS with instructions. This is not optional. If you miss the window, you cannot test.
Test your equipment the day before: Chrome browser, camera, microphone, speaker, internet connection. Confirm your second camera device (smartphone) is charged and accessible.
Setting Up Your Space
Your testing area must be private, quiet, and clear. Remove everything from your desk except your computer and your scratch material. ETS permits either a whiteboard with a dry-erase marker or paper inside a transparent protector. Regular loose paper is not allowed.
No food, no drinks, no phones, no notes, no other people in the room. The proctor will enforce these rules visually.
Check-In and Room Scan
Log in to your ETS account and enter the test room through the ProctorU or equivalent platform. The proctor will verify your identity on screen. Have your government-issued ID ready to show the camera.
You will then use your second camera (smartphone) to do a 360-degree room scan. The proctor checks that your space is clear of prohibited materials. If anything in the scan is flagged, the session can be terminated before it begins.
Once the proctor clears you, the test starts.
During the Test
Remain visible on camera throughout the session. Do not put your head down. Do not look away from the screen for extended periods. Do not cover your mouth. Do not speak unless the proctor addresses you.
There are no scheduled breaks. If a genuine emergency arises, use the proctor chat to request a pause.
No food or drink during the test. No headsets. No second monitor.
After the Test
Same as test center: unofficial Verbal and Quant scores are displayed immediately after you choose to report. Analytical Writing scores arrive 8 to 10 days later. Official scores appear in your ETS account within the same 8 to 10 day window.
What Happens After Scores Are Official
Once official scores are posted, any score reports you designated during registration (up to four, free) are sent automatically. Additional reports to programs cost $40 each.
If you want to dispute your Analytical Writing score, you can request a score review for $60. Verbal and Quant scores are not reviewable because they are objectively scored.
If your scores are not where you need them to be, you can retake the GRE. You are allowed five attempts in any rolling 12-month period, with at least 21 days between attempts. Start your GRE study plan with a clear sense of what score range your target programs expect, then structure your prep around closing that specific gap. The GRE diagnostic gives you a starting point before you book your next date. For help building a full application strategy around your test scores and timeline, coaching covers the complete picture.
What to Do Next
- Confirm your ID matches your ETS registration exactly. If there is any discrepancy (name change, typo), update your ETS account before test day.
- If testing at a center, visit the location at least once before your appointment. Know the commute time, parking, and entrance.
- If testing at home, complete your IDVaaS verification as soon as the email arrives (required 72 hours before the test) and do a full technical check the day before.
- Decide in advance whether you will report or cancel scores at the end of the test. Know your threshold before you sit down so you are not making a reactive decision under pressure.
- After the test, check your ETS account 8-10 days later for official scores including AWA, and log any free score sends you designated during registration.
