When to take the GMAT

Taking the GMAT during the senior year of your undergraduate work or shortly thereafter is recommended, rather than waiting until after work experience is gained. This is because students score higher while they are still in the academic or test-taking “mode.” It is suggested that the GMAT be taken several months before the application deadline for the following reasons:

• It will take a few weeks for official GMAT scores to reach each school. An official offer of admission cannot be extended until the school has received the official GMAT scores.
• To allow applicants to opportunity to study and retake the GMAT (and still meet the application deadline) should previous GMAT scores be unrepresentative of ability or too low to merit consideration for admission
• To allow applicants the opportunity to meet scholarship deadlines and benefit from other advantages that early admission to an MBA Program provides.

You may take the GMAT once every 31 days and no more than 5 times in a 12 month period. If you score 800 on the exam, you will be prohibited from testing for 5 years from your exam date (scores are valid for 5 years). Most schools will only consider your highest score along with your application. Some schools have a limit on how many scores you can submit. Most schools do not have a minimum required score.