GACE® Assessment: Identification (ID) Requirements
- Information for All Test Takers
- ID Document Requirements
- Primary ID Documents
- Supplemental ID Documents
- Unacceptable ID Documents
- ID Document Discrepancies
- Unable to Meet ID Requirements
- Questions About ID Documents
Information for All Test Takers
You are responsible for bringing valid and acceptable identification each time you report to a test center. It is your responsibility to bring the correct documents and ensure that they are up-to-date on the day of the test.
- You are responsible for ensuring that the first and last name you use when you create your MyPSC account exactly match the name on the ID document(s) you will present at the test center. The first and last name in this account will be on the admission ticket (hyphens, accents, suffixes, middle initials, and spaces in your name will not appear on the admission ticket). All updates to your information must be completed through your MyPSC account on the GaPSC website prior to registering or reporting to the test center.
- If the test administrator questions the ID you present, you may be required to provide supplemental ID. If positive confirmation cannot be made, you may not be permitted to test or your test score may be withheld.
- All test takers are encouraged to bring at least two forms of acceptable ID each time they report to a test center. Prior admission to a test center based on a given ID document does not ensure that that document will be considered acceptable. Test centers are not required to hold your seat if you leave the center to obtain acceptable identification.
- Admission to the test center does not ensure that the ID you provided is valid or that your scores will be reported. All reported cases of questionable ID are subject to review and approval by the ETS Office of Testing Integrity either during or after the test administration. ETS reserves the right to withhold and/or cancel scores in the event that the ID requirements set forth herein are not met.
- You may be required to show your ID and/or to sign a test center log at various points throughout the test administration.
- Your test fees will not be refunded if you are not permitted to test or if your scores are withheld or canceled because of invalid or unacceptable ID.
ID Document Requirements
With few exceptions, ID documents must meet all of the following requirements. Each ID document must:
- be an original document; photocopied documents are not acceptable, and documents cannot be presented on a cell phone or any other electronic device
- be a government-issued national/state/province identity card that is recognized by the country in which the test taker is a citizen or permanent resident
- be valid and cannot be expired
- bear the test taker's legal name; the first and last name must match what appears on the admission ticket (hyphens, accents, suffixes, middle initials, and spaces in your name will not appear on the admission ticket)
- bear a recent photograph that clearly matches the test taker
- bear the test taker's signature (the name and signature on the ID documents must match)
See Unacceptable ID Documents.
See ID Document Discrepancies if:
- you have a multiple-part last name (e.g., Pena-Delgado or Miller Thomas)
- you only have a first name and no last name, or vice versa
- your name has recently changed
- you are in the process of updating your driver's license
- you are testing outside your country of citizenship
- you are not a U.S. citizen and you are testing within the U.S.
- you are in the U.S. military
- you are unable to meet ID requirements
- you have any questions about the acceptability of your ID document(s)
Primary ID Documents
The following government-issued ID documents are acceptable for admission to a test center within your country of citizenship:
- Passport
- Driver's license (including provisional driver’s license as outlined under "Driver’s License Renewals")
- State or Province ID card (including those issued by motor vehicle agencies)
- National ID card
- Military ID card
Supplemental ID Documents
- You may be required to provide a supplemental ID if the test administrator questions your primary ID document and/or if your primary ID document is otherwise valid and acceptable but does not bear your full name, photograph or signature. If you cannot provide a supplemental ID that contains your signature, you may present two government-issued ID's with photographs as long as they are in the same name you used when you registered.
- Supplemental ID documents may not be used to resolve name discrepancies. The first and last name on your primary ID must match the name on your admission ticket (hyphens, accents, suffixes, middle initials, and spaces in your name will not appear on the admission ticket).
The following ID documents are generally acceptable as supplemental ID:
- Government-issued ID card (including, but not limited to, those listed under Primary ID Documents)
- Student ID card
- Confirmation of identity letter from your educational institution. This letter must be typed or printed on the original letterhead of the educational institution you attend(ed) and, in addition to meeting all of the ID document requirements, must include your date of birth and the date issued. Additionally, a school official's signature and the school seal must be present and both must overlap your photograph. Such letters are valid for only one year from the date issued.
Unacceptable ID Documents
The following documents are not acceptable as primary or supplemental ID under any circumstances:
- Any document that is photocopied or expired
- Any document presented at the test center on a cell phone or any other electronic device
- Any document that does not bear your first and last name exactly as they appear on the admission ticket (hyphens, accents, suffixes, middle initials, and spaces in your name will not appear on the admission ticket)
- International driver's license
- Draft classification card
- International student ID
- Credit/debit card of any kind
- Notary-prepared letter or document
- Birth certificate
- Social Security card
- Employee ID card
- Any temporary ID (excluding driver’s license renewal exception)
- Diplomatic, consulate, or embassy ID card (e.g., Mexican Matricula Consular card)
- Voter registration card
- Any document that is not recognized by a governmental agency
ID Document Discrepancies
Multiple-part Last Name
- If the ID document you will present on the day of the test contains a multiple-part last name (e.g., Pena-Delgado or Miller Thomas), the name on your admission ticket must exactly match (excluding hyphens, accents, and spaces) your ID. You cannot use a supplemental ID to resolve name discrepancies.
- If the attendance roster or admission ticket lists a two-part last name and the ID document does not, you may not be admitted. The name you used when you registered must match the ID.
Single First or Last Name
- If you only have a first name and no last name, or vice versa, put that name in both the First Name and Last Name fields when you create your MyPSC account. As long as the first and last name in your account are exactly the same and match the single name on your identification document, you will be admitted to test.
Recent Name Change
- If your admission ticket bears your maiden name and your ID bears your married name or vice versa because you were married or divorced between the time you registered and the test date, you may be permitted to test if you bring an original marriage certificate or divorce decree that was issued between the date you registered and the test date.
- If your name has changed for any other reason, contact the ETS Office of Testing Integrity (OTI) before you register to test to have your ID documents approved. See Unable to Meet ID Requirements.
- To make a name change, you must submit an application to the GaPSC and include appropriate supporting documentation. See the GaPSC website for further information.
Driver's License Renewals
- If your driver's license has expired, but you present it along with your original Department of Public Safety renewal certificate, these two documents together are acceptable if the names on both documents match exactly. If a provisional driver’s license is issued in lieu of a renewal certificate, this will be accepted as a primary document if it contains your photo, signature, and an expiration date.
Testing Outside Your Country of Citizenship/U.S. Non-Citizen Testing Within the United States
- You must present a valid passport with your name, photograph, and signature as your primary ID document.
- The first and last name on the identification documents you present at the test center must match the first and last name in your MyPSC account. The first and last name in this account will be on the admission ticket (hyphens, accents, suffixes, middle initials, and spaces in your name will not appear on the admission ticket). All updates to your information must be completed through your MyPSC account on the GaPSC website prior to registering or reporting to the test center. See Information for All Test Takers above for more information.
- If you only have a first name and no last name, or vice versa, put that name in both the First Name and Last Name fields when you create your MyPSC account. As long as the first and last name in your account are exactly the same and match the single name on your identification document, you will be admitted to test.
- If you are not a U.S. citizen and you are testing within the U.S., you must present a passport that meets all of the ID document requirements.
- If your passport is not written in English-language letters, you must also present as supplemental ID at least one of the documents listed under Supplemental ID Documents. This document must also contain your name, a recent, recognizable photo, and be in English. If you do not have a supplemental ID and the test center staff cannot read the language in which it is written, you may not be permitted to test.
- Diplomatic and embassy ID cards cannot be used as primary identification in place of a passport.
- The following documents can be used in place of a passport if presented along with at least one of the documents listed under Primary or Supplemental ID Documents.
- Permanent Resident Card/Resident Alien Card (Form I-551 or I-151)
- Temporary Resident Card (Form I-688)
- Employment Authorization Card (Form I-688A, I-688B or I-766)
- Mexican Border Crosser Card (This form of ID may be accepted only at test centers within 25 miles of the Mexican border.)
U.S. Military
- If your military ID does not contain your signature, you must present a supplemental ID.
- If you are in the U.S. military and the expiration of your driver's license has been extended or deferred by the issuing state, the license can be used as a supplemental ID along with your U.S. military ID. Depending on the state, the extension or deferral may consist of either a sticker affixed to the license with the designation "military" printed in place of an expiration date or a separate document carried with the license, usually with a notation that the driver's license is valid until a specific time period after discharge from the service.
Unable to Meet ID Requirements
If you have been granted political asylum, have refugee status, or are otherwise unable to meet the identification requirements, you must contact the ETS Office of Testing Integrity (OTI) at least seven days before registering to test. You must receive approval from OTI before you may register. You should also be prepared to submit any requested documents to OTI for review prior to receiving approval. If you do not contact OTI before you register, and as a result you are not permitted to test or your test scores are withheld, your test fees will not be refunded.
ETS Office of Testing Integrity (OTI)
- Email:
- TSReturns@ets.org
- Phone:
- 1-609-406-5430 or 1-800-750-6991
Questions About ID Documents
For general questions about acceptable ID, call ETS Customer Service at:
- 1-855-225-7178 (United States, U.S. Territories, and Canada)
- 1-609-359-5161 (all other locations)
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