Hey everyone,

I wanted to post an updated experience to add to all the other helpful posts on here! I took my GRE At Home yesterday. I live in London, so I had the option to go to a test centre but elected to take it remotely due to the current COVID climate, living with someone who is at high risk, and I wanted to see if my 'exam anxiety' would be calmer at home than in the centre.

I booked my test date exactly 1 week before, they had a lot of options, basically an open slot every 10 minutes apart. I picked to do mine mid-morning, at 10:50am. I used a Macbook Pro, and from the website they state that the software is not adaptable with the safari browser so I downloaded the Google Chrome browser and Firefox (I had read a post on here that said Firefox worked the best).
For those that are unfamiliar with signing up for the at home test, you firstly have to create an account with ETS and sign up for the GRE, whilst doing so it will give you the option to find a centre or take it at home. Once you select at home, you then pay, and then a few hours later are emailed log in credentials to ProctorU, which is the Proctoring System.
You will also be asked to download the ETS software which is what you will use to take the exam. Once that is downloaded, and you log on to ProctorU, you can pick your desired day/time and confirm.
ProctorU also offers a really helpful diagnostic service which only takes a few minutes, and that will check that your microphone, camera, bandwidth and software are all approved. For Macbook users - Make sure your macbook software is updated to the latest version!!! I passed the diagnostic service test the week before I took the exam, a few days later there was a Mac Software update which I did not install, and my computer failed the diagnostic test when I tested it a few days after!
Also, for me, ProctorU did not work on FireFox, only on Google Chrome. I tested it on both browsers because I wanted to be sure what the best choice was. I recommend running this test periodically between when you book the exam and test day. It's good to spot any potential hiccups early on!
I used a whiteboard and pen, a standard A4 sized whiteboard with a blue rim and a thin black marker, both of which I got on Amazon.
I have an open plan dining/living room space with a table which is where I took the exam. I was home alone so there would be no risk of disturbance in the apartment. I was slightly concerned as it is a living area the room was not completely bare, but I moved all my study materials into a separate room and ensured the table and the immediate surrounding areas were completely clear. I then had to go through the check in process with my proctor, which wasn't anything difficult, just confirming details and showing my workspace by using a mirror or the front facing camera on my iphone. It took probably about 20 minutes to get started after all the logistics had been taken care of. Then it was pretty much exactly as you would expect!
The experience lasted from 10:50am to about 3:10pm all in all. As mentioned I didn't really get started in the actual exam for about 20 minutes after my log in time, and there was a slight technical issue connecting to the Proctor coming back from my break, but aside from that everything went swimmingly. My only advice for future takers would be:

-Check your systems periodically on the ProctorU website a few times on the run up to exam day! Nothing worse than realizing something is wrong on the morning of.
-If you live in an apartment building, like me, don't worry too much about outside noise. My neighbors can be quite disruptive (they are children) but don't waste any time worrying about it during the exam. I think they are pretty understanding of your environment given the circumstances.
-Relax but don't get too relaxed... It is still an exam so make sure you are clearly on camera at all times!
-Manage your time!! I was rushing through the last 6 questions of one of my quant sections..

I didn't do as well as I had hoped so I will be retaking, but to summarize I think it was a good experience and I'm not anxious to do it again!
Good luck everyone and if there are any questions I can answer/advice I can give, please let me know!