GMAT Exam Dates 2026–27: Booking, Scores & Retakes
Current MBA admissions test scheduling information. Reviewed 26 September 2026.
Check GMAT appointmentsCurrent exam at a glance
2 hours 15 minutes
Three 45-minute sections plus an optional 10-minute break.
Three sections
Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights.
205–805
Total score range; each section contributes to the total.
Five-year validity
GMAT scores remain valid for five years from the test date.
Some older guides call this the “GMAT Focus Edition.” GMAC's current registration and policy pages call it the GMAT Exam. It has no Analytical Writing Assessment or Sentence Correction. An on-screen calculator is available for Data Insights; personal calculators are not permitted, and Quantitative Reasoning does not have that calculator.
How to find and book a date
- Use GMAC's official registration page and sign in to mba.com.
- Choose test centre or online delivery, then your country and available location or time zone.
- Compare actual appointments and local prices. Check your chosen business school's deadline and whether it accepts your delivery method.
- Make sure your name, birth date and citizenship match the original valid ID required for your testing location.
- Review the fee, rescheduling rules and appointment details before paying. Save the confirmation.
For online delivery, run the required system check and review the room, webcam, internet and permitted whiteboard rules ahead of the appointment. For a centre, use the address and reporting instructions in your confirmation rather than assuming a standard daily timetable.
Retake and reporting rules
| Rule | Current GMAC guidance |
|---|---|
| Wait between attempts | At least 16 days, across online and test-centre attempts |
| Attempt limit | Up to 5 combined attempts in a rolling 12-month period; no lifetime limit |
| Official results | Usually 3–5 days; some reviews can take up to 20 days |
| Free score sends | Up to 5 programs, selected within 48 hours after the official score becomes available |
| Score validity | Five years from the test date |
There is no separate two-online-attempt limit in GMAC's current rules. GMAC recommends leaving at least 20 days before an application deadline for score processing, with more time if you may retake the exam. School deadlines vary; check each programme directly. Once your official score arrives, you can decide whether to send it to programs during the free 48-hour window. Additional reports cost extra.
Fees and appointment changes
GMAC uses location-specific pricing, including local taxes and differences between online and centre delivery. Select your test location in mba.com to see the current price. This guide removes old fixed country fee tables because they may be wrong for your booking.
Rescheduling and cancellation fees depend on how far ahead you act and your location. GMAC says changes cannot be made within 24 hours of the appointment. A missed appointment forfeits the exam fee. Review the live price and official policies before making a change.
Plan for late 2026 and 2027 applications
Work backward from your earliest programme deadline. Leave at least 20 days after the GMAT appointment for official reporting; add a larger buffer if a 16-day retake may be needed. GMAT scores last five years, so you can test before application season. There is no universal “Round 1” or “Round 2” deadline: each school and programme publishes its own dates.
How to verify upcoming GMAT dates in 2026 and 2027
GMAC does not publish one fixed global calendar of GMAT Exam dates. Test-centre and online appointments are released through the mba.com booking flow, and availability depends on city, delivery method, time zone and remaining seats. To see all dates that apply to you, search your intended location and inspect the live appointments. A general list of Mondays or weekends cannot establish that your local centre has an open seat. Once you book, the appointment in your mba.com account is the date to use for travel and application planning.
The right date balances preparation, score processing and a possible retake. Start with your earliest business-school deadline, then work backward. GMAC advises leaving at least 20 days between the appointment and an application deadline because official reporting can occasionally take longer than usual. If you might retake the exam, add the mandatory 16-day gap, another score-processing period and further study time. You may need to test much earlier than the final deadline to keep those options open.
Search more than one authorised test centre if travel is practical. A centre may offer a preferred morning time while another has an earlier date. For online delivery, inspect the actual appointment time zone, not just the date on a calendar. Do not assume online means immediate availability or that every country offers identical slots. Our exam timetable hub helps compare the GMAT with other admissions requirements, while the mba.com booking screen provides the live seat.
Confirm that the current GMAT Exam is the one you need
The current GMAT Exam is sometimes still called the Focus Edition in older articles. It has Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning and Data Insights, each scheduled for 45 minutes, with an optional ten-minute break. The total score scale is 205–805. The old Analytical Writing Assessment and Sentence Correction are not part of this current format. Candidates using study material written for an older GMAT should check every practice question against the current official content outline.
Business programmes decide whether to accept the GMAT and whether they also accept the GRE or another test. Consult each programme's current admissions page. A school may describe a typical class score without setting an absolute minimum, or it may specify conditions for a scholarship or pathway. Do not assume all MBA rounds share the same date or that a score accepted by one programme is automatically accepted by another. For another graduate admissions test, our GRE schedule guide explains its General and Subject Test dates.
The GMAT score is reportable for five years under GMAC's normal rule. If you have a valid older result, check whether the programme will consider it before booking again. The school may compare score scales differently across GMAT versions, so read its current guidance rather than using an unofficial conversion. If you plan multiple application cycles, an early strong score can provide flexibility, but it should still be valid at every intended deadline.
Test centre or online: choose a workable mode
The content and score scale are the same for the GMAT Exam at a centre and online, but the logistics differ. A test centre provides the computer and a managed setting. You must travel, check in with the required original ID and follow the centre's permitted-item rules. Online delivery removes the trip but requires an approved computer, reliable connection, webcam, microphone and room that satisfies current proctoring rules. Test those conditions early. A technically unsuitable room can turn a convenient appointment into a failed attempt.
GMAC's current retake rules combine online and centre attempts. There is no separate allowance that lets you bypass the five-attempt rolling-year limit by switching delivery modes. Likewise, the 16-day minimum between attempts applies across modes. Choose the mode that best supports your performance and schedule, not one based on an outdated claim that online attempts follow a different calendar. Confirm that each receiving school accepts the mode you choose; GMAC places responsibility for this check on the candidate.
Before online test day, read the latest system, room and whiteboard rules in your confirmation. Run the required check using the same computer and network you will use. Close unrelated programmes and plan a quiet uninterrupted period. At a centre, check the full address, reporting time and transport. For either mode, use exactly the ID required for your location and ensure the registration name matches it. If you need accommodations, follow the formal request process before relying on an ordinary appointment.
Book a GMAT appointment carefully
Create or sign in to mba.com, select the GMAT Exam and compare live test-centre or online seats. Enter your personal information as required, then verify the test date, local time zone, mode and price. Fees can vary by location, tax and delivery method. The amount shown in checkout is the one to budget for; old global price tables are unreliable. Review the change and cancellation terms before paying. Save the order and appointment confirmation in a place you can access during travel or online check-in.
Once you have an appointment, use its date to make a study plan. Do not wait until the final week to learn that Quantitative Reasoning has no on-screen calculator while Data Insights does. Do not wait until test day to try the online whiteboard or review process. Current official practice materials help you experience the timing and interface. A booked date is a commitment to a preparation schedule, not evidence that the candidate is already ready for a target score.
If you need to reschedule, check the time remaining and the fee in mba.com. GMAC says changes cannot be made within 24 hours of the appointment. A missed appointment forfeits the exam fee under its normal policy. If something unexpected happens, use official support promptly and preserve the confirmation and any evidence. Avoid assuming that the fee from another country or an old article applies to your booking.
Understand the three sections
Quantitative Reasoning tests mathematical reasoning and problem solving with arithmetic and algebraic ideas. It rewards choosing an efficient approach and checking assumptions under time pressure. An on-screen calculator is not provided for this section. Preparation should therefore include estimation, number sense and calculation discipline, not only practising with a calculator. Review incorrect answers to determine whether the error was conceptual, computational or caused by misreading the question.
Verbal Reasoning evaluates reading comprehension and critical reasoning. Current candidates do not need to prepare old Sentence Correction items. Read a passage for its argument and structure, then support answers with specific evidence. For critical reasoning, identify the conclusion, assumptions and role of new information. Memorising a list of answer patterns can be less effective than explaining why four alternatives fail on a particular problem.
Data Insights combines interpretation, logic and decision making using information in different formats. Its on-screen calculator is available where the official interface provides it, but calculator access does not replace reasoning about what the data means. Practise tables, charts and multi-source material in timed conditions. Decide what information a question requires before reading every detail. Review whether mistakes came from interpretation, selection of data or arithmetic.
The current exam allows candidates to choose the section order and review or edit a limited number of answers within a section under GMAC's rules. Learn those rules in official materials and practise a section order that suits your stamina. Do not plan to fix every uncertain question at the end; time is limited. A disciplined pacing plan usually matters more than trying to solve one hard item perfectly while losing several later items.
What happens after the test
GMAC says official scores are normally available in mba.com within three to five days, although an individual result may take up to twenty days. Watch for the notification email and check the account. Because the long-tail case matters for a hard application deadline, GMAC advises testing at least twenty days before it. A result shown to you and a score report submitted to a programme are separate events, so build time for both.
After the official score is available, you have a 48-hour period to send that attempt to up to five programmes at no additional cost. This is a post-result choice. Review the score, select the exact programmes, confirm the selections and keep a record. Additional reports after the window or beyond the five included programmes carry a fee. Sending an official report cannot be undone, so check the programme name carefully. A PDF or screenshot sent by an applicant may not meet a school's official-report requirement.
Some programmes update their portal soon after score delivery; others take more time to match records. Check the school portal after you submit and contact admissions if the status remains missing near its deadline. Retain your mba.com confirmation and application reference. A mismatch in name, birth date or programme selection can delay matching. If you sit more than once, record which official attempt you sent to each school.
Retakes and score improvement
GMAC's current policy requires at least 16 calendar days between GMAT appointments and allows up to five attempts in a rolling 12-month period, counting centre and online tests together. The old lifetime attempt cap has been removed. These rules set a minimum interval, not a recommended study duration. A candidate who has not addressed a weak area in sixteen days may repeat the same score. Plan a retake only when analysis of the first report and new practice evidence support it.
The official score report offers details on section and question-type performance. Use those insights to distinguish a broad knowledge gap from a timing issue. If Data Insights is weak but Quantitative Reasoning is strong, drill interpretation and decision making; if the verbal score is weak, review argument and passage errors. Compare your result with the admissions profile of the actual schools you are targeting. A small improvement may matter for one programme and little for another.
Do not reserve a retake so close to an application deadline that even the normal official report would arrive too late. GMAC's twenty-day recommendation applies to the final test too. A first attempt taken early enough can reveal whether another is worthwhile. If the score is already competitive and another attempt would displace important essays or recommendations, the better use of time may be elsewhere in the application.
Build an application calendar by school
Business-school deadlines are programme-specific. “Round 1” at two schools can fall on different days, and some programmes use rolling admissions. Create a table with each school, programme, round, online application deadline, GMAT score deadline, recommendation deadline and any interview period. The earliest score deadline should drive your testing plan. Confirm whether the school needs an official GMAC report by the same date as the application or accepts it shortly after.
For example, if a school closes in early January 2027, a test in late December leaves almost no room for the occasional twenty-day score process and no sensible retake window. An autumn 2026 test creates more margin. That does not mean every candidate must test in autumn; the right date depends on readiness and the school's own rule. Treat broad season advice as a starting point and the specific programme page as the authority.
Applicants often prepare alongside work, university courses or other tests. Reserve weekly blocks for GMAT practice and for the non-test elements of the application. Our combined exam timetable and private tutoring page can help coordinate preparation, but the admissions calendar should use your actual booked appointment and each school's verified deadline.
An eight-week GMAT preparation example
In week one, verify programme requirements, take a current-format diagnostic and choose a live test date with adequate score buffer. In weeks two and three, rebuild weak fundamentals in Quantitative, Verbal or Data Insights. In weeks four and five, practise timed sets and review errors by cause. In weeks six and seven, use full-length current-format practice exams, refine section order and pacing, and revisit recurring mistakes. In week eight, review rather than cram, confirm your ID and appointment, and check online equipment or centre travel.
This is an example, not a GMAC requirement. Some candidates need a longer period; others with a strong baseline may need less. The essential feature is feedback: each practice session should change how you approach a recurring error. A schedule full of mock tests with no review can leave the same weaknesses intact. Balance practice with rest, especially in the final days when fatigue can affect reasoning.
Common date and policy mistakes
Older GMAT articles may still quote a fixed US$275 centre fee, a two-online-attempt cap, an eight-attempt lifetime cap or the former test format. These claims should be checked against current GMAC pages and the actual checkout. Other mistakes are treating a typical three-to-five-day official score as a guarantee, missing the 48-hour free-score-send window, or assuming every school's round deadline is the same. These errors are preventable with a short current-source review.
Another mistake is choosing online delivery without checking technical requirements or school acceptance. A convenient appointment is only useful if you can meet proctoring conditions and the programme accepts it. The same applies to ID: a name mismatch or expired document can spoil a well-planned test day. Check the exact rules for your country and delivery mode before payment.
Keep a final checklist: accepted test and delivery mode; target score; live date and local time; identity document; payment and change policy; expected result buffer; free-score-send deadline; exact school programmes; and retake room. Review it once when booking and again before the test. If anything changes, update the whole application calendar.
Deciding between the GMAT and GRE
Some business schools accept both the GMAT and GRE. That choice is more than a comparison of convenient test dates. The tests have different content, section structures, scoring scales and practice demands. Begin with the programmes to which you intend to apply, and confirm what each accepts for the current intake. If all accept both, take a current-format diagnostic for each and compare your relative strengths. A candidate strong in data reasoning may prefer one format; another may perform better on the alternative. Use evidence from timed practice, not a blanket claim that one exam is easier.
Consider score reporting and retake timing too. The GMAT's 16-day gap and occasional 20-day official result period differ from the GRE General Test's 21-day retake gap and usual 8–10-day score period. These are policy facts, but the best test depends on your school deadlines and preparation level. Our GRE 2026–27 guide includes the current Subject Test windows; most MBA applicants considering the GRE are looking at the General Test instead.
Do not compare scores through an unofficial table and assume the schools will draw the same conclusion. Schools decide how to evaluate test scores in the wider application. Ask admissions if an unusual programme, scholarship or dual degree has a preferred test. If one school requires a specific examination, that may settle the choice immediately. The right route should leave enough time for preparation and official score delivery.
Using the official score report for a second attempt
Once your report is available, separate three questions. First, did you meet a published minimum, if one exists? Second, how does your score compare with the profile of enrolled students at your target programmes? Third, how much can you credibly improve before the deadline? The answer to the third question comes from practice data, not hope. Use the report's section-level information to set a narrow improvement goal and test it in current-format practice.
Suppose Quantitative Reasoning is strong but Data Insights pacing is poor. Your next plan might focus on interpreting tables and choosing when to move on. If Verbal Reasoning accuracy is low even untimed, more vocabulary or reading speed alone may not solve an argument-analysis gap. Track what changes in each practice set. Consider the score's five-year validity: a strong result now can serve later rounds, so a retake is optional when the first score already supports the intended applications.
Keep retake dates realistic. Sixteen days is the policy minimum between appointments, but it may be too little to make meaningful progress. Add the time needed to receive the first score, diagnose weaknesses, prepare, sit again, obtain the next official score and send it. A candidate who counts only the 16-day interval can discover too late that the final official report misses a school deadline. If the deadline is already close, ask the school whether it accepts an updated score after submission before scheduling another test.
Fee and change questions to ask at checkout
Because GMAC uses location-specific pricing, look at the actual test-centre and online fees for your country. Check taxes, currency, accepted payment method and the cost of an appointment change. A centre farther away may involve travel expense; an online appointment may require equipment or a suitable private room. Compare the full cost, not a fee figure from a guide written for another country. If a sponsor or employer will reimburse the exam, keep the invoice and ask about its documentation rules before paying.
Read the rescheduling and cancellation schedule for your booking. The fees usually depend on how far in advance you act, so waiting can be costly. GMAC's policy says changes are not available in the last 24 hours, and a missed appointment forfeits the fee. If you have a documented emergency, contact official customer care rather than assuming a refund. Save any correspondence and the transaction number. Avoid opening a second account to bypass a date or identity problem; resolve it through the provider.
Questions to check with a business school
Ask whether the programme accepts both online and centre GMAT scores; whether it needs an official report by the application deadline; whether a self-reported score may be entered first; and whether a later retake can update the application. Ask about score validity and the score scale used in its published class profile. If you are applying to a dual degree, verify both schools' rules. Getting clear answers before booking can save a rushed late appointment or an unnecessary additional report.
Record the answers with a link or email date. Admissions pages change over time, and policies for one intake may not carry over to another. A single university can have different rules across full-time MBA, executive MBA and specialised master's programmes. The programme title matters when you search for score recipients in mba.com. Check it twice before sending a report, because an official send cannot be recalled.
Final month before your appointment
Four weeks out, compare your latest timed practice with the scores needed by your schools. If you remain far below the target, consider whether moving the appointment would create a better application outcome and check the change fee immediately. Two weeks out, complete a full-format rehearsal and focus on repeated errors. In the final week, reduce practice volume, check the confirmation and ID, and prepare the test environment. After the exam, set a reminder to check the official report and another reminder for the 48-hour free-score-send window. Those small administrative steps protect the value of all the preparation that came before them.
Frequently asked questions
What are the GMAT dates for the rest of 2026?
GMAC uses year-round appointments. Search mba.com for actual online or centre slots in your location; a month-by-month generic table does not confirm a seat.
How many times may I take the GMAT online?
Online and centre attempts count together toward five in a rolling 12-month period, with a minimum 16-day wait. GMAC's current FAQ says there is no lifetime attempt limit.
When can I send five free scores?
Choose up to five programmes within 48 hours after the official score report becomes available in mba.com, rather than at registration.
When should I take the GMAT for an application?
GMAC advises at least 20 days before the deadline for official score availability. Allow extra time for a possible retake and confirm the target programme's own deadline.
Is a calculator available?
The Data Insights section has an on-screen calculator. Quantitative Reasoning does not. Personal calculators are not allowed unless approved as an accommodation.
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