Once you decide to take the GMAT, the next step is to schedule the GMAT exam date. You need to make this decision carefully as there are a lot of things to keep in mind. For instance, the application deadlines of the b-school you’re applying to, your preparation for the exam and more. You need to have everything in place before you proceed to register for the GMAT.
The GMAT exam is available throughout the year. You have the option to select a date which is convenient for you and a test centre that is nearby. Also, due to the pandemic, GMAC (the creators of the GMAT exam) have also introduced a GMAT online exam that can be taken from the comfort of your home. You can schedule this online exam at any time of the day and year as well. Selecting GMAT test dates much before the application deadline of a b-school you are applying to is crucial. You have to do this because once you complete the exam, it takes upto 20 days for the official score reports to be generated and sent across to the universities.
Let us now view some of the important factors which influence your selection of the GMAT exam date :
- Preparation time – This is a crucial point to remember as you schedule your GMAT exam. You have to analyse how long it takes for you to complete preparing for the exam and studying all the topics of the GMAT syllabus. You should also include time you will take for attempting mock exams and solving practice question papers.
- Admission deadlines – As mentioned above, the admission deadlines vary from b-school to b-school. So whichever school you are applying to, make sure the deadlines and then select dates accordingly.
- Preparation of supporting documents – Besides your GMAT scores there are other documents that are needed for your admission. These documents include your SOP (Statement of purpose), LOR (Letters of recommendation), CV, more. So all these documents should either be finalized or in the process of being finalized.
- Exam retakes – When choosing an exam date do take in consideration the time you might need for exam retakes. There could be a possibility of you taking the exam again in case you don’t achieve your desired score. So you will have to schedule the exam date very tactfully to ensure that your exam and the retake (if the need be) are taken much before your b-school’s application deadline.
Besides the GMAT exam dates, another thing that you need to have a thorough knowledge of is the GMAT scores. So take a look at the section below.
GMAT Score
The GMAT score is the aggregate score of both the Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning section. It ranges between 200-800.
Once you complete your exam, you get your unofficial score report in the test center and you can choose to either accept or decline it. If you cancel the scores, you still have the option to reinstate them by paying a small fee. Your official score report is sent to you 20 days after the completion of your GMAT exam. The quant and verbal section makes up your total score. You also get your analytical writing and integrated reasoning scores separately as well. Besides this, you get your percentile score too. A percentile score helps you to understand how well you have performed in comparison to other candidates who have attempted the exam. For example, if you have scored a percentile of 85% it means that you have performed better than 85% of candidates in the exam. The GMAT score chart below gives a depiction of the percentile scores and the corresponding GMAT score for that percentile.
We hope an overview of the GMAT exam dates and GMAT scores helped you. All the best for your preparation and the exam!
