Some applicants register for their GMAT exam well in advance. People schedule their GMATs as far as 6 months in advance and then start prep. Some top scorers have also revealed they booked their GMAT appointments last minute since Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) allows scheduling of appointments no later than 24 hours before the exam.
While booking an appointment just 24 hours before the scheduled test could cause more anxiety than usual, booking well in advance could lead to unforeseen events on the test day that simply can’t be avoided.
What do you do in such a situation? Do you reschedule your GMAT? Or do you simply not show up to the test center?
Let’s look at the answers of these and many more questions regarding the rescheduling of the GMAT exam.
CAN YOU RESCHEDULE THE GMAT?
Like almost every other ‘appointment’, your GMAT appointment can be rescheduled. However, you will not receive a full refund no matter when you decide to reschedule or cancel your test.
You can also reschedule your GMAT as many times as you want. However, I would strongly advice against that due to the fee you’ll incur which we’ll talk about in a while. When you reschedule your GMAT, you must also make sure you have a date in mind that isn’t more than 6 months after the original date you were supposed to give the exam on.
When Is It Possible to Reschedule?
This question might seem a little odd to you but it has a very valid reason to be included inthis blog. Unlike many appointments, GMAT does not let you cancel or reschedule last minute.
Yes, you will be paying a cancellation fee no matter when you cancel, but GMAC still has some limitations set on the time limit. If you decide to cancel the test any less than 24 hours before the appointment, you won’t be authorized to do so.
All you can do then is to just not show up at your GMAT appointment.
When this happens, you are marked as a no-show for the particular date. However, you don’t need to worry as no-shows aren’t a part of your official score report that is shown to business schools.
Fee for Rescheduling The GMAT
The rescheduling fees varies according to the time left in your GMAT appointment when you decide to reschedule the exam. It can vary amongst countries and is easily available on the MBA.com site.
In regards to India, here are the cancellation charges explained:
- Rescheduling fee to reschedule GMAT more than 7 days before the appointment: $60
- Rescheduling fee to reschedule GMAT less than 7 days before the appointment: $250
SHOULD YOU RESCHEDULE THE GMAT?
Now this is a question that students really need to think about. Let’s obvious to be a little nervous or have cold-feet before the test. Most students act like scoring good on the GMAT is the end-goal of their career and thus put themselves under tremendous pressure.
However, pressure or nervousness shouldn’t be the core reasons of your rescheduling the GMAT appointment. First off, the test costs $250 and is never rescheduled without a fee. This means you will be paying much more just because you’re nervous. Especially when most of these students are well prepared.
So, when is it acceptable to reschedule for the GMAT?
When to Definitely Reschedule?
There are only a few cases where rescheduling your GMAT is a smart idea. Especially when you have to reschedule the GMAT within the last seven days before your appointment and will technically be paying the fee for a new GMAT appointment.
So, what are the circumstances where its okay to reschedule your GMAT?
This is a simple answer. If you’re sick, or have to tend to someone else, or have any other personal obligations that cannot be postponed even a few hours, it’s okay to reschedule the GMAT. For anything else, keep reading.
Reschedule,Retake or Cancel The GMAT?
What if you are underprepared, or even unprepared?
Go and take the GMAT. What’s the worst that will happen? You get a low score? you can always cancel your GMAT scores if you feel they are unsatisfactory. Such scores don’t even show up on the official score reports that the colleges get to see.
If your attempt of the GMAT isn’t going to be your best performance, use it as a true-to-life practice test, especially if you need to pay the $250 cancellation fee.
Cancelling Scores
Every test taker is allowed to cancel or accept their GMAT scores after they finish with the exam. If you do not cancel the score of your GMAT exam, it automatically gets accepted and can be later canceled from your MBA.com account that you used to book the test.
These canceled scores can also be reinstated as long as 4 years and 11 months after the date you gave the test.
HOW TO RESCHEDULE THE GMAT?
Since you have reached this point in the blog, I am going to take a guess that you have made up your mind to reschedule your GMAT appointment for another day.
All you need to do now is follow the steps listed below to make the rescheduling request.
Step by Step Rescheduling the GMAT
- Log onto MBA.com and into the account you used to book the GMAT appointment you wish to reschedule.
- Find “Future Exams” on the page after logging in.
- Select the “Reschedule” option next to the GMAT appointment you wish to change.
- Select a date on which you wish to take the exam.
- Review the new appointment. Confirm and agree to your personal information and the GMAC policies.
- Pay the GMAT reschedule fee to make the changes.
Special Cases
Although we have covered most of the ground regarding the rescheduling of your GMAT appointment, there are a few things that come under special circumstances and need to be treated likewise:
- If you, for whatever reason, cannot place your reschedule request for the GMAT through the internet, you can place it on call. This is mandatory if you wish to select a test center in a country different from the one your original test center was in.You would be required to pay an additional $10 service fee.
- If you are marked as a no-show on your GMAT test day, you will not receive a refund which you would have had you cancelled.
- In another case, if you have any pre-approved accommodations, you can easily sort those out in the event of rescheduling by calling the number available to you on the letter of approval.
The GMAT is the first test you give after you decide to become a business graduate. The test sneakily tests you on your ability to make executive decisions through its algorithm. All the strategies on the GMAT, be it time management or guessing on questions, are aimed at optimizing results from the same resources.
Consider this decision to reschedule the GMAT as another executive decision that the test has allowed you to take. As a good business graduate would, make an informed decision that best suits your situation.
