GRE eligibility: no academic bar, one document that matters

What is not required

• No minimum qualification. You do not need a completed degree to sit the GRE — only the programme you later apply to sets that.
• No percentage or grade threshold.
• No age limit, upper or lower.
• No nationality restriction.
• No work experience requirement.

This surprises Indian candidates used to entrance exams with eligibility windows. The GRE is a test you buy and sit; eligibility belongs to the university, not to ETS.

The passport rule

In India the passport is the identification ETS accepts for the GRE, and the requirements are strict because the test drives high-value admissions decisions.

• The passport must be original, valid and unexpired.
• The name on your ETS registration must match it exactly, including the order of given and family names.
• Bring the same document you registered with.

If you do not hold a passport, start it before you start preparing. It is the single most common reason a candidate who is otherwise ready cannot book.

How many times you can sit it

• Once every 21 days.
• Up to five times in any continuous rolling 12-month period.
• The limit counts attempts where you cancelled your scores as well.
• Scores remain reportable for five years, and ScoreSelect lets you choose which test dates a university sees.

Between five-year validity and ScoreSelect, an early attempt carries very little risk: a weak first score need never be sent.

GRE or GMAT, if you are applying to business school

Most business schools now accept both, and GMAC reports that more than 70% of candidates across both tests use the GMAT for business school. The GRE is the better choice if you are keeping non-business master's options open, since far more programmes accept it; the GMAT is the better choice if business school is the only plan and you are strong at data reasoning.

Check what your specific programmes say before choosing — and note the cost difference: GRE INR 25,522 against GMAT US$275 at a centre.