How Often Can You Take the GMAT?

July 02, 2009

For better or worse, you can only take the GMAT so often. In a perfect world, this wouldn't matter to you, as you'd take the test once, get your dream score, and forget about the exam forever.

But this isn't the case for everyone. For a variety of reasons, the GMAC doesn't allow you to take the GMAT as frequently as you might like. There are two important restrictions to remember:

• You may only take the GMAT once every 31 days. In other words, if you take the exam on July 1, you can't take it again until August 1. If you take the exam on July 29, you can't take it again in the beginning of August; you still must wait 31 days.
• You may only take the GMAT five times per calendar year. I hope this rule doesn't interfere with your plans.

While retaking is not always a good idea (something I've written more about elsewhere), it's always smart to plan for the possibility of retaking.

For instance, if you have an application deadline on October 1, don't schedule your GMAT for September 15. Instead, register to take the test in the last week or two of August. If you get your score, that's great--you can focus on the rest of your application. If you don't, you still have enough time to take the exam again before submitting the application.

No matter how often you intend to taking the exam, remember to register early. In some cities, it is often impossible to register for an exam less than a month in advance. Don't let poor planning stop you from meeting your deadlines!

About the author: Jeff Sackmann is a GMAT tutor based in New York City. He has created many resources for GMAT preparation, including the popular Total GMAT Math and Total GMAT Verbal, as well as 1,800 practice GMAT math questions.

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