When Should I Take the GRE?

Here is a transcript of the above, if infographics aren't your thing...

When Am I Applying?

Your GRE scores remain valid for 5 years, but some schools may insist on more recent scores.
Schools must receive your GRE scores in time to evaluate them with the rest of your application. To be safe, this means before the application deadline! If you may miss this deadline speak with admissions, often it will be OK as long as your scores are in by the time the school begins reviewing applications. ETS can take up to 2 weeks to provide officially process your score, so that’s your minimum buffer!

Will I Use My GRE Score to Choose Schools?
How does it feel to pay $100 for a punch in the face in the form of a rejection letter? Not so hot. If you don’t have a good idea of what your score will be, early GRE scores can be a tool to narrow your list of schools to apply to. Perfect Score? Here I come Harvard! 5th Percentile? Here I come University of Phoenix!

When Do I Have the Most Time to Study?
You will want to devote a serious amount of time to preparing for the GRE. Flex your math muscles, play some vocab quiz games, do some practice tests. The best time to take the GRE is immediately after an extended period (several months) of studying and practicing for it part-time. If you’re going to have a heavy fall semester, don’t schedule your test for Christmas break! The very end of the summer may be the best option, just make sure you devote a little time during the spring semester and a lot of time during the summer to studying.

Will I Take the GRE More Than Once?
If you are a bad test-taker, super paranoid about unforeseen circumstances or just plain superstitious, you should budget an extra month or two in case you need to retake the GRE. You can write the test a total of 5 times, but only once per calendar month.

When is My Test Center Open?
You will need to visit the official ETS website to identify your test center and determine what days and time of day they will take you. The GRE is a computer-based test and is taken individually (in comparison to the way SATs are administered, for example) so there is a lot of flexibility in scheduling it. If you are not a morning person, don’t try to bust out your mad test skills at 8AM. For maximum domination, check out our Tips and Tricks for the day of the test.