GMAT exam dates: year-round, and a 16-day gap between attempts
The GMAT runs on appointments rather than dates. You choose a slot from live availability, online or at a test centre, and you can sit it again after 16 days. What decides your timing is not a calendar but your application deadlines and how much room you leave for a second attempt.
How scheduling works
- Appointments run year-round, with availability shown when you register.
- You choose online or test centre at booking — they are priced differently, at US$300 and US$275.
- You can take the GMAT again after 16 days.
- GMAC also caps how many times you may sit it within a rolling period and over a lifetime; those limits are in the GMAT Exam Policies and Procedures, which you agree to before the exam begins.
Read the policies document before you book rather than accepting it on the day. It also governs identification, and GMAC updates it periodically.
Planning around round deadlines
Business schools admit in rounds, and a round deadline is a harder edge than a rolling one. Work back:
- Pick the round you are targeting and find its deadline.
- Allow time for the Official Score Report to reach your account and your schools after the exam.
- Leave 16 days plus reporting time for one retake.
- Book about six to eight weeks before the deadline, which makes the cheap reschedule tier — more than 60 days out — unavailable, so be reasonably sure of the date.
Five-year score validity means sitting the GMAT a year before you apply is entirely sensible, and it removes the deadline pressure that causes most rushed attempts.
The deadlines that cost money
| Notice given | Reschedule (centre) | Cancellation refund (centre) |
|---|---|---|
| More than 60 days | US$55 | US$110 returned |
| 15 to 60 days | US$110 | US$80 returned |
| 14 days or less | US$165 | US$55 returned |
| Within 24 hours | Not possible | Nothing — the full fee is forfeited |
Online appointments cost US$5 to US$15 more at each reschedule tier and return US$5 to US$10 more on cancellation.
GMAT exam dates — FAQs
4 questions
Year-round. It runs on appointments rather than fixed dates, online or at a test centre, with availability shown when you register.
After 16 days. GMAC also sets limits per rolling period and per lifetime, published in the GMAT Exam Policies and Procedures.
Six to eight weeks before your round deadline, leaving 16 days plus score-reporting time for a possible retake.
You can cancel up to 24 hours before, receiving a US$55 refund on a US$275 test-centre exam. Inside 24 hours you cannot cancel at all and the whole fee is forfeited.
Sources
Checked on 25 September 2026 against the official pages below. Fees and formats change — the official page is always the final word.
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