Educational Testing Service (ETS) produces the Graduate Record Examination (GRE test), a graduate-school admissions exam. Students around the world should learn how to find out and choose GRE test dates that are available in their area and country.
First, there are two kinds of tests that comprise one factor in determining your GRE test date. The first is the traditional paper test, and the other is the computer-based GRE test. The traditional test does not have a flexible, rolling schedule like the newer computer-based exam. Instead, the paper GRE is given on only about 3 test dates per year. Bear in mind that, even if you can take the Graduate Record Examination in your country, it may not be available on every test date. You will have to register, confirm availability in your country, and then finalize your GRE exam date during the registration process.
Second, you can quickly find out if the GRE is available for testing in your country using the GRE location tool that is linked to in the Resources at the bottom of this article. Enter your country, and it will tell you whether there is computer testing. If there is, then you know there is also paper-based testing in that same area. Note that computer testing is not available in many countries. However, paper-based testing is widely available throughout the world. You may also use the “Test Center List” document to see a tentative schedule of paper-based GRE exam dates by country and state.
It is important to know whether you are forced to take the paper-based GRE because it has such a limited number of test dates in a fairly narrow window. This means you need to plan in advance to make sure you choose and schedule an available test date or be forced to travel to a computer center or wait many months for the next paper-based GRE exam.
Let’s use the upcoming GRE test dates at the time of this writing as an example. In all areas, ETS has scheduled a GRE test date for October 22, 2011, November 19, 2011, and February 11, 2012. Thus, if you miss the November test date, you are looking at waiting almost 3 months for the next exam.
Getting a test date for the GRE computer-based exam is generally much more convenient. The exact dates are not published as a general rule because it depends on the local testing center. However, GRE exam dates for computer testing for mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Korea are published at the time of this writing. Refer to the ETS “Test Centers and Dates” web page to see those dates.
Resources:
ETS: GRE Location Tool For Checking Test Availability By Country
Educational Testing Service: Test Centers and Dates
ETS: Test Center List