Using Your Photo on the GRE

You’re responsible for ensuring that you have valid and acceptable identification every time you take a GRE examination. Your GRE examination requirements will also depend on where you intend to take the exam and whether or not your passport or other valid travel documents will be accepted by the institution offering the examination. If your passport is lost or stolen, you must present it when taking the examination.

It’s important that you are familiar with what kinds of identification are acceptable for taking the GRE. You must produce proof that you have a driver’s license or that you are at least 18 years of age. You must also show proof of your identity, such as a social security card or a current utility bill. If you will be applying for scholarship money, you must produce the appropriate identification cards for each of the students who are taking the exam for which you’re applying. You must also show a form of ID that identifies you as a U.S. citizen in order to apply for a student visa or for permanent residence.

When you want to take the GRE examination and have a valid or acceptable identification, you need to remember these details. Keep copies of your ID at home or in a safe place in your car. It’s also helpful if you have a photocopy of your social security card or a copy of a recent utility bill in case you need to prove that you’ve got a valid source of income. If you have a birth certificate, you may also need to provide a copy of it, in order to complete your application form.

Even if you do have an original or certified copy of a social security card, you should always bring a photograph with you when you apply for a GRE examination. In some institutions, your photo must be taken from far away and that will eliminate the possibility that your photo won’t match the photo that is used on the score report. Another thing to consider is that the actual photograph taken for the exam must be of a natural color.

If you have an identification card or a photo, you should always keep the same identification at home when you take the GRE examination. Keep all your identification documents together and keep the GRE scores handy as well. If you have lost or misplaced any identification documents, you should take them to the nearest office of the institution offering the test or the nearest U.S. Department of State Identification Bureau.

When you take the GRE examination, be sure to check with the institution offering the examination whether or not they accept your Social Security Card as proof of identity for an examination. You will find that most colleges and testing centers will accept this ID as long as you provide a valid Social Security Card number, your full name and date of birth. Even if they don’t accept it, you’ll find that most institutions will accept a passport or other valid government issued ID.

Many universities and colleges will require you to submit a completed application form, but don’t let that stop you from taking the GRE. Remember that many colleges and testing centers will only accept a completed test form, rather than a completed application. In many cases, you’ll simply need to fill out the application form with your school’s information on it and take it to the nearest testing center and then bring it to the appropriate office.

In some cases, you can find that there may be additional requirements to meet before you’re allowed to use your current ID to take the GRE. Even though you’ll find this to be true with a number of institutions, it’s still worth taking into consideration. Make sure that your identification is valid in the state where the exam is being taken. Also, make sure to keep a record of the identification at home and with the test center so that you will know what you need to do if you want to retake the test or even have an updated ID with the proper photo.