# GRE Test-Centre Checklist for India in 2026 | topin

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## Check the physical passport before booking

ETS’s requirements depend on citizenship and testing location. The India page currently lists a passport with name, photograph and signature as primary ID for testing within your country of citizenship. It also requires a valid passport when testing outside your country of citizenship. Do not generalise another country’s identity-card policy to an Indian centre appointment.

The general rules call for an original, physical, valid document with a recognisable photograph and matching identity details. A photograph on your phone, a photocopy or an expired document does not meet those rules. The India page explicitly includes Aadhaar among documents unacceptable as primary or supplemental ID. A card being widely used for other purposes does not establish that ETS accepts it.

Compare your entire first and last names, including spelling, with the ETS account before registration. ETS permits its stated accent exception, but does not allow a nickname or a first-name initial in place of the full given name. If the details do not match, contact GRE Services or the identity support route before proceeding. Supplemental ID cannot repair a name discrepancy.

If you cannot meet the requirements, ETS instructs you to contact its Office of Testing Integrity at least seven days before registering and obtain approval before registration. That is a pre-booking issue, not a document to negotiate at the reception desk on test morning. Keep any written approval with the appointment records and follow its exact scope.

## Prepare a small checklist in the week before testing

Confirm the centre’s exact address from the appointment, not from an old map listing or a friend’s earlier test. A city can contain several locations, and a building may have a different entrance from the one suggested by a map pin. Check your route, likely travel time and a backup way to get there. These are practical recommendations, not additional ETS identity requirements.

Save the booking confirmation where you can consult it before entering the testing room. Check the date, local appointment time and location together. An itinerary that is correct for the city but wrong for the branch is still a missed appointment. If you have separately approved accommodations, confirm that the booking matches the approved instructions.

Review the current bulletin rather than relying on a video about the older test. The standard General Test is 1 hour 58 minutes, with no scheduled break. The essay comes first, then the Verbal and Quant sections in an order that can vary. Your personal travel schedule should allow extra time for check-in and administration beyond those testing minutes.

Prepare recipient information before the day if you intend to use the included score reports. Do not assume that every department shares the same instruction. Keep the exact programme, institution code and any department guidance in your planning notes, and rehearse how you will make the choice without depending on access to a phone inside the room.

__Practical preparation checklist; ETS rules and our planning suggestions are distinguished__
| Item                | Check                                                      | Basis                                          |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Passport            | Original, valid, photo/signature and matching names        | ETS India ID requirements                      |
| Booking             | Correct centre, date and local time                        | Our planning recommendation                    |
| Arrival             | At least 30 minutes before appointment                     | ETS centre instruction                         |
| Personal belongings | Store as directed; do not take them into testing room      | ETS centre rules                               |
| Health arrangements | Approved equipment, drinks or snacks documented beforehand | ETS accommodations procedure                   |
| Reporting plan      | Know recipients and programme instructions                 | Our recommendation using ETS reporting options |

## Work backwards from the arrival time

ETS tells you to arrive at least thirty minutes before the appointment and warns that late arrival can lead to non-admission and loss of the test fee. Treat that as the centre-arrival target, not the time to start travelling. A transport booking that reaches the neighbourhood at the appointment time does not satisfy the instruction.

Illustrative morning plan: for a 10:00 appointment, aim to be at the centre by 09:30\. If the journey normally takes forty-five minutes, leaving at 08:45 provides no travel contingency at all. A departure at 08:15 adds a thirty-minute cushion. These departure times are our arithmetic planning example; traffic conditions and the centre’s current instructions determine your actual arrangement.

Eat and take care of ordinary personal needs beforehand within your usual routine. The standard session has no scheduled break. If you need food, drink or equipment in the testing room for a health-related reason, request the relevant approval through ETS beforehand. Do not assume that showing a medical item at check-in automatically supplies that approval.

Once there, follow the staff’s sequence. Keep your physical ID available and store the rest of your belongings as instructed. Avoid bringing valuables that create unnecessary storage concerns. The purpose of arriving early is to complete the actual check-in calmly, rather than add a last-minute revision session outside the room.

## Know what check-in and belongings checks involve

ETS says centre staff verify ID and take a photograph. They may inspect clothing, ask you to empty pockets, raise trouser legs or sleeves, provide a voice sample, remove eyeglasses for inspection or undergo a handheld metal-detector scan. Prepare for these possibilities so routine security checks do not come as a surprise.

You may request an inspection by a staff member of the same gender or in a space sheltered from other people’s view, but ETS does not guarantee that every centre has the necessary staff and space. If a specific arrangement matters to you, seek clarification before the appointment. The published request option is not a promise that the centre can fulfil every preference.

The centre page permits only ID and an optional mask as ordinary personal items in the testing room, with separate provisions for approved health needs. Staff explain where to store personal belongings. Your phone, study notes and personal calculator belong outside the testing room under those instructions. A calculator is supplied on screen in Quant; bringing your own is not the standard arrangement.

You must read and sign the confidentiality statement agreeing to the testing rules. ETS warns that refusal prevents testing without a refund. This is an administrative requirement, not an invitation to copy question content for later discussion. Keep your preparation examples separate from the protected material you encounter during the official test.

## Use the supplied scratch paper and ask for help properly

The current bulletin says the administrator provides scratch paper. Use it during the test, return used paper to staff to receive more and hand back all of it at the end. You may not remove a page or part of one, and scratch paper must not be used before the test or during breaks. Bring no prewritten formula sheet into the room.

Practise making scratch work easy to follow. Put a question number beside an equation and separate rough calculations from final answers. This is our study recommendation; ETS does not require a particular note layout. Readable working makes a return to a marked question faster and reduces the chance of entering an intermediate value.

If the computer has a problem or you need the administrator, raise your hand as the bulletin directs. Do not independently leave your seat or try to repair testing software. Describe the operational problem, such as a screen not responding, without turning it into a discussion of the question’s solution. Staff handle the testing process, not assistance with content.

For the standard centre session, there is no scheduled break. If you must leave your seat, raise your hand; the section timer does not stop for an ordinary unscheduled break. Separately approved breaks follow the accommodation instructions. The [accommodation timeline guide](/articles/gre-accommodations-request-timeline) explains why those arrangements should be resolved before scheduling.

## Know what you see when the test ends

At the end you choose whether to report or cancel the scores. If you report, you see unofficial Verbal and Quant numbers; Analytical Writing is not available at that moment because it is scored later. Think through this decision before the day so it is not governed only by how one difficult section felt.

ETS lets you designate up to four recipients as part of the test fee, with the test-day ScoreSelect options. You can choose no recipients and order later for a fee. Keeping a result and declining immediate delivery is different from cancelling it. The [score validity and reporting guide](/articles/gre-score-validity-retakes) covers those policies without treating your institution’s disclosure requirements as optional.

Official General Test scores normally become available eight to ten days after testing. A number displayed at the centre is useful information, but it does not establish that a university has received and matched an official report. Follow the programme’s own receipt instructions and check the application portal separately.

Before leaving, return all scratch paper and comply with final staff instructions. If the session had a technical or administrative problem, retain the appointment details and use the current ETS support route for follow-up. Report what happened and when. Do not record or circulate protected question content as part of documenting a problem.

## Rehearse the conditions without overcomplicating the final day

Use a full practice sitting that begins with writing and respects each section timer. Practise with a keyboard and mouse arrangement you can use confidently. The bulletin says GRE centres use a standard English-language QWERTY keyboard. If you usually type on a different layout, include that practical difference in preparation.

A [free GRE mock on topin](/gre/practice-test), marked on the official scale, can provide this rehearsal. Use official ETS software as another reference for the test interface. Keep preparation scores labelled as estimates and review mistakes afterwards. The useful output is a known routine for continuous testing, rather than a promise that a mock certifies your centre eligibility.

On the previous evening, recheck the passport, name, booking and route. Avoid making a new reporting decision under pressure if the recipient plan is already documented. Leave enough time in the morning for normal preparation and travel. This short operational check can coexist with light revision without becoming another long study session.

If you are choosing between delivery modes, compare these travel and identity requirements with the separate [at-home checklist](/articles/gre-at-home-2026). Home equipment and advance-verification instructions should not be transplanted into a centre appointment. Use the requirements for the booked mode, and confirm that the programmes you apply to accept that mode.

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## FAQs

Can I use Aadhaar for the GRE in India?

The ETS India ID page checked on 5 October 2026 lists Aadhaar as unacceptable as either primary or supplemental ID. Its primary-ID list specifies a passport with name, photograph and signature.

Can I show a passport photo on my phone?

No. ETS requires an original physical valid ID under its general document rules. A phone image or photocopy does not replace it.

How early should I arrive at the GRE centre?

At least thirty minutes before the appointment, according to ETS. Add your own travel contingency rather than treating the appointment time as the arrival target.

Is scratch paper provided at a GRE centre?

Yes. The administrator supplies it. Return used paper to receive more and return all paper when the session ends; do not bring a formula sheet.

Is there a scheduled GRE break at a centre?

No for the standard 1 hour 58 minute General Test. An ordinary unscheduled break does not stop the section timer; approved accommodations have their own instructions.

## Sources (checked 5 October 2026)

* [ETS India: acceptable and unacceptable identification — checked 5 October 2026](https://www.in.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/register/id-requirements.html)
* [ETS: Test-centre check-in, breaks and reporting — checked 5 October 2026](https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/test-day/test-center-test-day.html)
* [ETS: GRE Information Bulletin 2026–27 — checked 5 October 2026](https://www.ets.org/content/dam/ets-org/pdfs/gre/gre-info-bulletin.pdf)
* [ETS: General Test structure and adaptation — checked 5 October 2026](https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/prepare/test-structure.html)
* [ETS: Getting official General Test scores — checked 5 October 2026](https://www.ets.org/gre/test-takers/general-test/scores/get-scores.html)

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