All About GRE and Its Significance

The GRE is not an easy test to clear, considering that it is one of the screening methods in some of the top-tier graduate schools of the world. However, diligent preparation with focused mentoring from professional GRE Coaching classes can make the test a breeze. The most challenging part of the GRE has to be time management, besides handling the mathematical concepts, if you have not been in touch with the subject for years. You need a strong sense of vocabulary to understand the trickily worded questions and have clear reasoning skills to apply logic to find the correct answer. If you are not digitally savvy, handling a computerized test may intimidate you on the test date, thus bringing down your score. Finally, since the GRE is an adaptive test, the difficulty level and scoring potential of the subsequent sections depend upon your performance in the former. To overcome these challenges, you need intense guided practice with trusted GRE coaching.

No, the GRE is not compulsory for a MS degree in the US. In one hand, many institutions have waived the GRE criteria for graduate admissions, while on the other, most top universities still consider GRE scores for screening candidates. Whether waived off or required, your GRE score can help you make a strong statement in front of the admission panelists and boost your application a few notches higher. Join UniApplica GRE Coaching classes today to give your graduate application in the USA a competitive advantage.

ETS does not specify any eligibility criteria to take the GRE. Practically anyone can take the test, irrespective of age or qualifications. However, since the GRE is the selection criteria for graduate admissions, candidates should carefully take note of the eligibility conditions of their chosen program, besides ensuring that the test prep is top-notch.

A human proctor monitors the GRE home test online through ProctorU. To take the GRE conveniently at home or any other remote location, you’ll need the following equipment in place.

• Desktop or laptop computer
• Licensed operating system (WindowsOS version 10 or higher/ Mac OS X 10.13 or higher/Chrome or Firefox browser)
• Download and install the ETS Test Browser on the testing device.
• Run the ProctorU Equipment Check from the testing computer. Ensure to fix any issue highlighted during the equipment check before the test day. 
• You may have to disable or reconfigure computer firewalls and security applications on your testing device, if any, before the test, as these may interfere with the test delivery software. 
• Internal or external speaker (Headsets/ earphones not allowed)
• An internal or external microphone 
• Built-in camera or separate webcam. The proctor will ask you to show a 360-degree view of the room, including your tabletop surface before you start the test.

• Taking the test in a public place like a park, restaurant or internet cafe is not allowed.
• No one should be in the room with you during the test.
• Ensure to close all doors in the room before you begin the test. The door to the room should be visible to the proctor.
• Place the computer and keyboard on a flat table top. The table top shouldn’t have any items not required for the test, like a mobile phone, camera, notes and study material, pens or pencils, etc.
• To sit, use a regular chair. Sitting or lying on a bed or couch, etc., while attempting the test is not allowed.
• You cannot use a regular paper for taking notes during the test. You may use a desktop whiteboard with an erasable marker or a sheet of paper inside a transparent sheet protector, with an erasable marker. At the end of the test, the proctor will ask to see if all notes have been erased.
• Dress appropriately for the test, keeping in mind that you will be monitored via camera and your screenshots will be shared with the institutions that receive your score.
• Ensure that your ears are visible throughout the test.
• Avoid wearing heavy or ornate hair accessories and jewellery.
• You cannot wear face masks during the test.
• During the test, do not consume any food or drink.

The GRE Chemistry Test was discontinued by ETS after April 2023. However, you can continue reporting the score throughout its five-year validity period.

If you wish to reschedule your GRE appointment, you can do so up to four days before the scheduled date (10 days if you are testing in Mainland China) with an additional fee of $50. If you try to reschedule the test less than 4 days before the due date, your test fee will be forfeited and you’ll have to register anew to take the test. 

You’ll get a 50% refund of your test fees if you cancel your GRE test registration up to four days before the scheduled date (10 days if you are testing in Mainland China). Cancellation can be done online. You also cancel your test over the phone in select locations.

Yes, you can take the GRE General test once every 21 days and the Subject Test every 14 days, up to 5 times within a continuous rolling year. This is applicable even if you have cancelled a test. However, training at GRE Coaching classes with proven track records can ensure that you do not need to take the test more than once.

Identification documents issued by the government of your country are acceptable for the GRE. You can produce one of the following documents in original (photocopy or mobile versions are not accepted) at the test centre or for the at-home test GRE as primary ID proof.

• Passport
• Driver’s License
• State or Province ID cards
• National ID Card
• Military ID Card

If your primary ID does not contain your signature or clear photograph, mismatches with the name you registered at ETS, or doesn’t satisfy the proctor in general, you will have to present a secondary ID proof. The last name in your secondary ID must match with that of your primary ID. Documents that you can present as supplementary IDs are

• Government-issued ID cards (including, but not limited to Acceptable Primary ID Documents)
• Student ID cards

Identity Confirmation Letter issued by your educational institution typed or printed on official letterhead with a school authority signature and seal overlapping your photograph. The letter should indicate the issue date and your date of birth. Such letters are valid for only 1 year from the date issued. 

ETS offers the GRE ScoreSelect option to candidates, allowing them the liberty to choose which test scores they want to share with designated institutions. 

After viewing your scores on the test day, you can decide whether or not you wish to share the scores with the institutions you selected at the time of registration or not. If you do wish to share the score you may choose either the most recent score, all scores in the last 5 years or select scores in the same period. In case you are not happy with your current score, you may skip sending it for admission purposes altogether. 

You can select up to four institutions to share your GRE scores and the cost for it is included in the test fee. If you wish to share your score with more than four institutions, you can order Additional Score Reports (ASR) online through your ETS account for a fee of US$30 per institution at any time during the score validity period. Please note that once you place your order, you will not be able to cancel or modify the same, or request a refund. 

ETS will take up to 5 working days to process your ASR request and share your score with the chosen institutions.

The official GRE Test-taker Score Report is only for your records. It lists your

• Contact information and personal details
• Intended graduate major
• Test dates, GRE scores and percentile ranks
• Designated score recipients/fellowship sponsors
• The cumulative record of scores reported within the last 5 years

However, the information that is shared with your designated institutions are

• Contact information and personal details
• Intended graduate major
• Test dates, GRE score(s) and the associated percentile ranks you choose to report with the ScoreSelect option 

The institutions do not get to know 

• Which institutions do you choose to share your scores with
• Scores that you chose not to report, if any
• Whether you’ve taken other GRE tests

At the end of the test, you are asked if you wish to view or report the score or cancel it. If you choose to report the score, then these will be sent to your designated institutions. However, if you cancel your score, then these will neither be available for your online review nor shared with the institutions. Such cancelled scores are not added to reportable test history. You’ll not be eligible for a refund of the test fee either.

If you decide to reinstate the scores you cancelled, you can do so for a fee of $50 through your ETS account within 60 days of your test date. You can specify up to four institutions where the score is shared. Please note that if you plan to designate the institutions to share your score at a later date, you will have to pay a fee of $30 per institution. 

For the GRE General test, your scores will be reinstated and shared within two weeks of your request. For GRE Subject Tests, the scores will be reinstated and shared during the score reporting window. 

ETS makes the GRE Question and Answer Review Service available only for New York test takers at a test centre in the city. If you have taken the test in New York, you can review the incorrect responses of the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections for a fee during a period specified by ETS. To book a review appointment, you need to contact GRE Services. 

You can review the Analytical Writing section online for a fee of $60. Request a review within 90 days of your test date and thereafter, you can expect to receive your review report within 4 weeks. Please note that if you request a review, your scores will not be shared with any institution until the review process is over. 

For the GRE General Test, ETS offers a Diagnostics Service, free of cost, from 15 days and up to 6 months after the test. Through this service, you can access details of your test performance in the Verbal and Quantitative sections. The GRE Diagnostics is a useful tool for you to understand the question types you answered right and wrong, an analysis of the difficulty level of each question and the time you took to answer each. If you plan to take a retest, then GRE Diagnostics can add mileage to your preparation.