At-Home Versus Test-Center Testing for the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT

GRE: at-home testing with strict equipment rules

The GRE General Test is identical in content whether you sit at a test center or test from home, but the at-home option comes with detailed equipment and environment rules you need to meet before test day. You need a desktop or laptop, not a tablet, Chromebook, or Surface Pro, running Windows 11 or later or Mac OS X 11 or later, with the Chrome browser. Laptops need a single built-in monitor since dual screens are not allowed.

Your testing room has to be private, with the door closed and windows covered, and you test at a table or desk in a standard chair, not a bed or couch. ETS requires a movable camera that can pan the room, and starting January 5, 2026, you also need a second device, a fully charged smartphone or tablet running iOS 12 or later or Android 8 or later, positioned to show your testing area from a different angle. For tests scheduled on or after March 31, 2026, ETS adds an identity verification step through its IDVaaS app, which you complete at least 72 hours before your test by photographing your ID and taking a selfie.

ETS states the at-home test is identical in format to the test-center version, and graduate programs receive the same score report regardless of where you tested.

GMAT Focus Edition: test center or online

GMAC also gives you a choice between a test center and an online exam for the GMAT Focus Edition. The two delivery formats use the same question content and scoring scale, and business schools do not distinguish between them on your score report. If you are deciding between the two, base your choice on which environment helps you focus best rather than any difference in how the score counts, and check mba.com directly for the current equipment checklist before you book an online exam, since requirements can update between testing cycles.

LSAT: a major shift to in-center testing

The LSAT moved away from broad remote access. Starting August 2026, LSAC's policy makes in-center testing the default for almost all US and international test takers, with remote testing available only through a limited exception process.

You can request a remote testing exception in 4 situations: you need disability-related accommodations that require remote testing for a given administration, you are active US military stationed abroad along with your spouse or dependents, you live more than 180 miles or 3 hours' driving distance from an available test center, or your assigned center closes due to weather or another unforeseen event. Deadlines differ by category, disability and military requests are due by the registration deadline, while distance requests open after registration closes and run until 4 days before scheduling closes. Requests submitted after these windows are not accepted, and once LSAC approves you for remote testing, the decision is final, meaning you cannot switch back to in-center testing for that administration.

If you do qualify for a remote exception, you need to use your smartphone as a second camera during the exam, a requirement that also starts in August 2026, alongside meeting LSAC's standard system and environment checklist.

Choosing a format

For the GRE and GMAT, the decision comes down to comfort and logistics rather than score treatment, since programs see no difference between formats. For the LSAT, most applicants after August 2026 need to plan around testing at a physical center unless they clearly qualify for one of the 4 exception categories, so build your test date planning around center availability rather than assuming a remote option will be open to you.