Recently, test seats for the GRE General Test in some domestic cities have remained tight, especially for summer and weekend sessions, which often get fully booked shortly after they are released.
To meet the testing needs of candidates in the near future, ETS has added a new batch of GRE General Test seats for August in five cities: Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Suzhou.
Source: ETS
Students with upcoming exam plans are advised to log in to the registration website as soon as possible to check for available test seats. GRE test seats change dynamically due to registrations, cancellations, and official additions of test dates. Therefore, even if you cannot find a suitable session at the moment, you can refresh the system regularly to keep an eye on subsequently released or newly added seats.
Below is the 2026 GRE General Test calendar. We recommend saving it for reference and scheduling your exams in advance based on your application deadlines.
Source: ETS
In-Person GRE Registration Methods (Mainland China + Overseas Regions)
The registration portals and procedures for taking the in-person GRE in Mainland China and overseas regions are different.
CheersYou (清柚教育) has compiled the registration methods for both scenarios below to help you quickly complete your registration based on your actual test location.
Registering for the GRE in Mainland China
Candidates planning to take the in-person GRE in Mainland China need to complete their registration through the GRE General Test registration website of the National Education Examinations Authority:
gre.neea.cn
When registering for the first time, you need to create an NEEA account.
-
During the registration process, you need to fill in personal information such as your name, date of birth, ID number, and contact details as prompted on the page.
-
Your personal information must match the valid identification document you will use on the exam day. Pay special attention to verifying the spelling of your name and your ID number.
-
Do not enter English names or nicknames that do not appear on your ID document to avoid issues with exam entry due to mismatched registration information.
After completing registration, candidates can log in to the system using their NEEA ID and password to begin the exam registration process.
-
Once logged in, click on "Search for Seats," select the city and date for your planned exam, and you will be able to view local test centers and available seats.
-
If there are no suitable exams available in your target city, try expanding your date range to check for weekday or other weekend sessions, or search for nearby cities with convenient transportation.
-
After finding a suitable test center, follow the system prompts to select a session and complete the payment. After payment, you need to re-enter the registration page to confirm that the registration was successful, and double-check the exam date, time, and test center address.
The NEEA account is primarily used for seat searches, exam registration, payment, rescheduling, or canceling exams within mainland China.
In addition, candidates in mainland China also need to create or link an ETS account.
-
After logging into your NEEA account, you can find the "ETS ACCOUNT" entry point on your personal homepage. Follow the prompts to verify your personal information and create the account.
-
Information such as your name and date of birth in the ETS account must be consistent with those in your NEEA account.
-
The ETS account is mainly used for post-exam operations, including viewing official GRE scores, downloading score reports, sending additional score reports to target institutions, and accessing other examination services provided by ETS.
Registering for the GRE Exam Overseas
Candidates planning to take the offline GRE exam in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, and other overseas countries or regions generally do not need to register through the NEEA system in mainland China. They can directly log in to the ETS official website to complete the reservation.
-
First, you need to register or log in to your personal ETS account. When creating an account, be sure to fill in your personal information exactly as it appears on your identification documents. Your name should match the passport or other valid ID you will use on the test day. Do not use casual English nicknames or arbitrary abbreviations of your name.
-
After logging into your ETS account, select the GRE General Test and choose to take the exam at a test center.
-
Next, you can enter the name of the city where you plan to take the exam or the postal code, and set the date range for your desired test dates. The system will display nearby test centers, available test dates, and times. Candidates can choose a suitable session based on the distance to the test center, transportation conditions, application timelines, and personal study schedules.
-
After confirming the test center and date, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the payment. Once registration is successful, you can view your exam appointment details in your ETS account and will also receive a confirmation email.
*When registering from overseas, pay special attention to time zone differences. The test times displayed by the system are usually in the local time of the test center location. If you are taking the exam across different states, cities, or while traveling, be sure to confirm the local time zone in advance.
*Additionally, ID requirements for the exam may vary by country and region. After registering, it is recommended to review the ID regulations for your specific test center again to ensure that the ID you bring on exam day meets the requirements.
How to Schedule Your GRE Exam
Official scores for the GRE General Test are typically released 8–10 days after the exam. Once scores are released, candidates can log in to their ETS account to view their official scores and send them to target institutions as needed.
However, the 8–10 day period refers only to the release of official scores. After that, it usually takes additional time for ETS to process score reports, for schools to receive the scores, and for them to match the scores to the application system.
Therefore, it is not advisable to schedule your GRE exam within one week before the application deadline, to avoid incomplete application materials due to insufficient time for score release, score reporting, or school score matching.
Students planning to retake the exam should also note that there must be at least a 21-day interval between two GRE General Test attempts, and you can take the test up to 5 times within any continuous 12-month period.
Items to Bring for the GRE Exam
On the day of the offline GRE exam, the most important thing is to bring valid identification that meets the requirements.
The ID must be an original document, valid (not expired), and include a clear photo. The name on the ID must match the name used during registration; otherwise, you may be denied entry to the test center, and the exam fee is typically non-refundable.
Additionally, you can save or print your exam confirmation information in advance to conveniently verify the exam time, test center name, and address. Besides your ID, the test center will typically provide scratch paper and writing tools needed for the exam.
Personal stationery, mobile phones, smartwatches, headphones, and other electronic devices are not allowed in the testing area. Upon arriving at the test center, you will need to store your personal belongings as instructed by the staff, and complete check-in, ID verification, and security screening.
It is recommended to arrive at the test center at least 30 minutes early to allow sufficient time for the entry process. Specific entry times and item requirements are subject to the registration confirmation email and notifications from the test center.
As the application season progresses, the GRE exam should be incorporated into your overall application plan as early as possible. Registration channels for offline GRE exams differ between Mainland China and overseas regions; candidates should choose the appropriate registration channel based on their actual test location.
At the same time, do not schedule your time based solely on the exam date. You should also allow ample time for official score release, score reporting, school score matching, and potential retakes, to avoid late exam scheduling affecting the submission of application materials.
Finally, we wish all students success on the GRE and a strong start to their graduate school application journey!
