GRE at Home 2026: Requirements, Rules vs Test Centre

What the GRE at home is

ETS describes the at-home GRE as identical to a test taken at a test centre, taken on your own computer at home or in another secure location, with a human proctor watching the whole session. It's the same exam with the same sections and timing, so everything in our guide to GRE format and timing applies: the General Test runs for 1 hour and 58 minutes with no breaks.

Your scores are reported the same way too. Schools don't get a separate "at-home" score, and the scoring rules are the same. If you're still deciding whether the GRE is the right test, start with our GRE vs GMAT comparison.

Where and when you can take the GRE at home

• Countries: the at-home test is offered everywhere the test is normally available, based on the country of your account address.
• Times: appointments run around the clock, 7 days a week.
• Mainland China: ETS sends test takers there to takethegre.cn for its own at-home policies. Our GRE in China guide covers the China-specific rules.
• Iran: ETS says GRE testing within Iran is paused under a U.S. Treasury (OFAC) regulatory change; Iranian nationals may still test outside Iran where testing is available.

By comparison, test centres are run at more than 1,000 ETS-authorised centres in 160+ countries. In most regions centre testing is continuous, but in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea it is available up to three times per month.

Does the GRE at home cost less?

No. ETS's fee table lists one General Test price per location, with no separate at-home price: US$237.86 in China and US$249 in all other areas of the world. In the United States, Canada, Australia, the 27 EU countries and several others (including Nigeria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Vietnam), ETS adds sales tax or VAT on top of that price; test takers in India are sent to the ETS India website for payment details. Rescheduling costs US$55 outside China, and the Bulletin adds a non-refundable 4% online service fee to online transactions. Our GRE fee by country table breaks this down further.

The extra cost of testing at home is the risk of losing your fee. ETS says that if your computer and room don't meet the requirements on test day, you won't be able to test and you won't receive a refund or a free reschedule. That's why the equipment check below matters.

GRE at home requirements: computer, camera and room

The details above come from ETS's at-home equipment requirements. For the second camera, ETS suggests placing your phone about an arm's length to your left or right so it shows your computer, keyboard, mouse, hands and side profile. If it disconnects mid-test, the proctor pauses your exam and you rescan a QR code to reconnect.

Run the Equipment Check early. Download the ETS Secure Browser and run its Equipment Check, which includes a bandwidth test. ETS recommends running it several times, ideally on the same day of the week and time of day as your test, because bandwidth changes with network use. If you're on a work, public or university network, ETS warns it may block the screen sharing the proctor needs.

Your room. ETS's environment rules say:

• You must be alone in a room that no one enters during the test. Parks, internet cafés, restaurants and glass-walled rooms are not allowed.
• Doors must be closed and blinds or curtains drawn.
• Your computer must be on a desk or table, positioned so the proctor can see the door.
• Sit in a standard chair, not on a bed, couch or overstuffed chair.
• Clear the desk and the area around it of phones (except for check-in), notes and study materials. Furniture and décor can stay.
• No food or drink during the test.
• Your ears must stay visible the whole time. Religious headwear is fine if your ears are visible; face masks are not allowed at any point.

Whiteboard and scratch paper rules at home

This is the rule that catches people out. At home you may not take notes on regular paper. You may use one of these instead:

• one small desktop whiteboard with an erasable marker, or
• one sheet of paper inside a transparent sheet protector, with an erasable marker. Pens and pencils are not permitted.

At the end of the session, the proctor asks you to erase the whiteboard or sleeve and hold it up to the camera, showing the front and back. At a test centre, by contrast, the administrator gives you scratch paper, which you swap for more when you run out and hand back at the end.

If you're used to working Quant problems on paper, practise on a whiteboard or sheet protector before test day. Try it on our free GRE Quant practice section so the switch doesn't cost you time.

ID verification and check-in on test day

1. At least 72 hours before: verify your identity in the IDVaaS app by photographing your ID and taking a selfie. If you book within 72 hours, verify straight after booking. ETS says that if you leave it until test day and verification fails, you won't be able to test as scheduled.
2. Before check-in: run a final systems check, close every browser and app you don't need, switch off streaming devices, and disable screen-sharing and remote-access software (ETS names Teams, Zoom, Skype, TeamViewer, Grammarly and Spell Check, among others) for the whole test.
3. 15 minutes before: click the "At Home Check-In" link in your ETS confirmation email. You can connect with a proctor from 5 minutes before your appointment until 15 minutes after. The Bulletin says that if you are more than 12 minutes late, your test will be cancelled.
4. With the proctor: show your ID, show your screen with a hand mirror or phone, give a 360-degree room scan with your webcam, and set up the second camera. ETS says to expect this to take about 20–30 minutes.

Your ID must meet the same rules as at a test centre, and the name must match your ETS account exactly (excluding accents). One at-home difference: in countries where a military ID is acceptable, such as the United States, ETS says it is not allowed for at-home testing. Our GRE ID requirements guide covers the full ID policy.

Breaks and behaviour rules during the at-home test

There are no scheduled breaks, and unscheduled breaks during the at-home test are not permitted. At a test centre, if you take an unscheduled break, testing time doesn't stop. ETS lists behaviours at home that can invalidate your test:

• talking out loud to yourself
• looking away from the screen
• moving out of view of the camera
• taking a break

If you need the proctor, speak or use the chat; ETS says replies can take 30–60 seconds. If your internet drops briefly you're reconnected automatically, and if you can't reconnect you restart the check-in process. At the end you can report or cancel your scores, the same as at a centre; our GRE cancellation policy guide explains that choice.

Need accommodations? ETS Disability Services must approve accommodations before you schedule your test, and review takes about 6 weeks. The Bulletin says that if a physical disability means you need help with steps like the 360-degree room scan, you should contact ETS Disability Services.

GRE at home vs test centre: which to choose

The test-centre rows come from ETS's test-centre test day page, which says that if a centre has to delay or reschedule your appointment for reasons outside your control, you can schedule again free of charge or get a full refund. If you're unsure about your home internet or about getting a private room for two hours, a centre takes those risks off your plate.

Whichever you pick, sit a timed run first. Our free GRE practice test gives you a feel for working under the clock with no breaks.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.

1. Your At Home Testing — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
2. Your At Home Test Day — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
3. Test Center Testing — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
4. GRE General Test Fees — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
5. GRE Information Bulletin 2026–27 (PDF) — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
6. Identification Requirements for the GRE General Test — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
7. United States acceptable primary ID documents (shown when United States is selected on the ID page) — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
8. GRE General Test Testing Locations — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.
9. GRE Disability Accommodations — ETS. Accessed 2026-10-01.

Related guides

• GRE ID Requirements 2026: Passport Rules and India Policy
• GRE Cancellation Policy 2026: Refund, Reschedule Fee, Scores
• GRE Eligibility 2026: Age, Degree and Who Can Take It
• What is a good GRE score?