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Last Updated on October 6, 2023
Many test-takers wonder whether it’s a good idea to cancel GMAT scores. In fact, you may have seen stories online of test-takers with all sorts of scores wondering whether business schools will look more favorably on their applications if they keep or cancel certain scores.
Whether your GMAT score is considered “good” or “bad,” depending on your situation, it may be a wise strategy to cancel your score. So, how do you know when to cancel a GMAT score and when to keep one? And what if you want to reinstate your score after you’ve canceled it?
In this article, we’ll look at how and when to cancel GMAT scores, some important GMAT score cancellation rules, and some real-world scenarios you may face when deciding whether to keep or cancel your score.
First, let’s review your options for canceling GMAT scores and what the process is.
- How to Cancel Your GMAT Score
- How to Reinstate Your Score
- GMAT Policies to Keep in Mind
- Should I Cancel My GMAT Score?
- Is “Showing Growth” a Good Idea?
How to Cancel Your GMAT Score
Test-takers have two options if they want to cancel GMAT scores: they can either cancel a score at the test center on test day or cancel within 72 hours after the test appointment. Let’s explore both of these processes.
On Test Day
When you are at a test center, immediately upon completion of your GMAT, you will see your Unofficial Score Report on the computer screen. This report will contain your Quant, Verbal, and Integrated Reasoning section scores and your Total Score, as well as the percentile rankings associated with each of those scores. (Since the Analytical Writing Assessment is not scored by the computer, you will not see that score until you receive your Official Score Report.)
The computer will give you 2 minutes to decide whether to accept or cancel your scores for that exam. If you don’t make a selection within the 2-minute window, the computer will automatically cancel your scores.
So, it’s essential that you have not only a score goal but also a score threshold in mind before you sit for your GMAT. Your score threshold is the minimum GMAT score you’re willing to let schools see. Research the average scores at your target schools and set thresholds for your section scores as well as your Total Score.
If you elect to cancel your GMAT score, the good news is, you won’t have to pay a fee for doing so. Canceling your score at the test center right after you finish your exam is free, regardless of what country you’re in.
When you cancel your score at the test center, you do not receive a printout of your unofficial score report, and of course, your canceled score does not show up on your Official Score Report, and thus is not visible to any schools you send GMAT scores to. In fact, schools will have no indication that you even sat for the exam associated with your canceled score. As far as schools know, the only GMATs you’ve taken are the ones that appear on the Official Score Report they receive.
TTP PRO TIP:
Since you have only 2 minutes to decide whether to keep or cancel your GMAT scores, determine your score goals and score thresholds for your total and section scores before test day.
After Test Day
Test-takers also have the option to cancel a GMAT score after they leave the test center, as long as they cancel the score within 72 hours of the start time of their exam. So, for instance, if you took the GMAT at noon on a Tuesday, you need to cancel that exam score before noon on Friday.
To cancel your GMAT score after you leave the test center, simply log onto your mba.com account. Keep in mind that the option to cancel your score may take up to 24 hours to appear in your account, depending on where your test center is located. So, don’t panic if you log into your account an hour after your exam and are unable to cancel your score yet.
Canceling your score online after your exam costs $25, but for some test-takers, having the flexibility to cancel later is worth the added cash. If, for instance, you don’t have a cancellation strategy in place, or for some reason you start to doubt your strategy, canceling online later is a good fallback.
Keep in mind that if you purchase an Additional Score Report within the 72-hour cancellation window after your exam, you will no longer have the option to cancel your score online for that exam. So, as you can see, there are many reasons to have a solid score cancellation plan in place before you sit for your GMAT!
KEY FACT:
If you purchase an Additional Score Report within the 72-hour cancellation window after your testing time, you will no longer have the option to cancel your score online for that exam.
If You Took the GMAT Online
So far, we’ve discussed how to cancel your GMAT score when you’ve taken the GMAT at a test center. But what if you take the GMAT at home instead? Well, canceling a score from a GMAT Online exam is not permitted — but don’t panic just yet. There are a couple of reasons why it doesn’t matter that you’re not allowed to cancel GMAT Online scores.
For one, the Official Score Report for the GMAT Online is kept separate from the Official Score Report for any GMATs you take at a test center. So, let’s say you took the GMAT once at a test center and once at home, and your score on the exam at the test center was significantly higher than the score from your online test. You have the option to send only your score from the GMAT you took at the test center, and schools will never even know that you took the online test as well. Likewise, if your GMAT Online score was the higher of the two, you can choose to send just that score, and schools won’t see your score from the test center or know you sat for another GMAT.
Another reason you don’t have to worry about not being able to cancel your GMAT Online score is that if you retake the GMAT Online, you can pick which scores you send from your online tests. So, let’s say you take the GMAT Online twice (the maximum number of times you can take the online test). In that case, you can choose to send just the score from your first online attempt, just the score from your online retake, or your scores from both online attempts.
So, although you can’t cancel a GMAT Online score, you have full control over which scores (if any) you send.
KEY FACT:
Since scores from in-person and online tests are kept separate, and since you can choose which GMAT Online scores you send to schools, it does not matter that you can’t cancel scores from online tests.
Now that we’ve reviewed how and when you can cancel your score, let’s talk about how to reinstate your score.
How to Reinstate Your Score
If you cancel your GMAT score and decide later that you need it, you can reinstate your score for $50 through your mba.com account (or by phone for $60). You can reinstate a GMAT score for up to 4 years and 11 months after the test date — of course, after the 5-year mark, the score would no longer be valid anyway.
One thing to keep in mind is that when you reinstate your score, the score report is automatically sent (for free) to the original list of schools that you designated at the time you took that test. You can view the original list of schools before you confirm that you want to reinstate the score, but you will not be able to make changes to that list.
You can, however, purchase Additional Score Reports if you’d like to send your scores to schools that aren’t on your original list. Furthermore, none of the schools that receive your reinstated score, whether you selected them at the time of your exam or after reinstating, will know that the score was ever canceled. And, of course, if you didn’t choose any score recipients when you sat for your exam, your reinstated score will not be sent unless you purchase Additional Score Reports. (Check out this article for more on how to send scores to schools.)
KEY FACT:
You have the option to reinstate a canceled GMAT score for up to 4 years and 11 months after your test date.
As you can see, canceling and reinstating GMAT scores is relatively easy and inexpensive. That said, you shouldn’t necessarily cancel any score that isn’t perfect. It’s important to carefully consider both GMAT policies and your individual situation, so you can be strategic about which scores you cancel and which you keep. Let’s discuss.
GMAT Policies to Keep in Mind
Before you determine whether to cancel your GMAT score, there are a few key rules and policies that you need to know. Let’s take a look at those, and then we’ll consider some example scenarios of when to cancel and when to keep your score.
GMAT Waiting Periods
First and foremost, when deciding whether to cancel your score, you need to balance the various GMAT waiting periods with your application deadlines.
To start, if you know that you need to retake the GMAT to try to earn a higher score, then you should be aware that you’ll have to wait at least 16 days between exams (unless you’re switching between in-person and online tests, in which case there is no waiting period).
Furthermore, if you sit for your retake at a test center, it may take up to 20 days for your Official Score Report to be sent to any schools you select.
The process is quicker if you’re sitting for your retake online. Official Score Reports from online tests are available in your mba.com account within 7 days after your exam. Once you select score recipients, your online test scores are sent within 24 hours.
So, before you cancel your GMAT score, it’s essential that you make sure you have time to retake the exam and send your new score.
Another waiting period to keep in mind relates to reinstating your score. It may take up to a month for a score reinstatement to be processed. So, if you’re counting on being able to fall back on a canceled score, don’t wait until right before your deadlines to reinstate it. If you wait too long, you could get stuck having to send a different score that you’re not happy with.
TTP PRO TIP:
Balance the waiting periods for exam retakes and score reporting with your application deadlines, so you can be sure that you have enough time to get a higher score to schools if you cancel your current score.
Ordering Enhanced Score Reports
One GMAT policy that works in your favor when you cancel your score is that you can still order an Enhanced Score Report (ESR) for your canceled score. As you may know, your ESR gives you a bird’s-eye view of your strengths and weaknesses on a given GMAT and how you managed your time in the various sections of the exam.
The ESR can be especially useful if you need to study for a retake, since it may reveal weak areas you didn’t realize you had. Particularly if your score was disappointing enough that you decided to cancel it, you can look to your ESR to get a good idea of which areas of the exam caused your low score.
So, I generally recommend that test-takers order the ESR for a canceled score if they’re planning to retake the GMAT. Certainly, you shouldn’t worry about not being able to see your performance data if you cancel your score. You’ll have access to all the same information that test-takers who accepted their scores have. And you don’t have to worry about schools ever seeing that information. Your ESR is always private to you, whether you keep, cancel, or reinstate your score.
TTP PRO TIP:
Order your ESR for your canceled score if you’re planning to take the GMAT again.
Now that we know the GMAT policies to keep in mind when determining whether to cancel your score, let’s consider some common scenarios that test-takers face when deciding whether to cancel scores.
Should I Cancel My GMAT Score?
As I mentioned earlier, it’s best to thoroughly plan your score cancellation strategy before test day. By planning ahead, you’ll be able to take advantage of the free cancellation option at the test center, and you’ll avoid the pressure of having to decide the fate of your score within 2 minutes.
So, to reiterate, you should know your score goals and your score thresholds before you walk into the test center. But what if you’re not sure whether it would be more advantageous to keep or cancel your score?
Let’s take a look at a few common scenarios that test-takers often face when deciding whether to cancel a score, and some smart strategies for dealing with those scenarios.
Scenario #1: You Score Below Your Threshold
Say, for example, you know that you need to score at least 710 to be competitive at your target business schools, and you know you’re capable of earning that score. However, you score 690 on your exam. Ask yourself, what reason do you have to keep that score? If you have time to study more and retake the exam for a higher score (hopefully you’ve budgeted time to do so), then why not put only your best foot forward with schools?
Some might say that there isn’t much difference between a 690 and a 710, but if you’re capable of a 710, there really is no reason not to just present one solid, impressive GMAT score. If you end up revising your list of target schools at a later date and can use your 690, you can always reinstate your score.
Scenario #2: You Score Lower on Your Retake
In general, if the score you earn on your second GMAT attempt is lower than the score you earned on your first attempt, it’s a good idea to cancel the lower score. For example, say you score 720 on your first attempt and 700 on your second. Even if you’re planning to beat both of those scores on a third attempt, why keep the lower second score?
If you’re going to keep scores that don’t quite hit your goal, at the very least, you want to show an upward trajectory, not a backslide.
The only exception may be if your section scores are more in line with the priorities of your targeted programs and you don’t have time to take the test again. For instance, let’s say you’re planning to apply to MIT. On your first GMAT attempt, you knock Verbal out of the park, scoring V46, but score 45 on the Quant section, for a total score of 730. You then take the GMAT for a second time and score 720, with Q49 and V40. In that case, knowing the emphasis that MIT Sloan (and pretty much all business schools) places on Quant, keeping your 720 would be a good idea. Even though your Total Score was 10 points higher on your first attempt, the Q49 on your second attempt will look much better than the Q45 on your first attempt.
Now, if you do have time to sit for GMAT a third time to, say, try for an even higher Quant score, maybe you will want to cancel your 720 with Q49. That way, MIT will see only two test attempts: your initial 730 and an exam score that is both higher overall and higher in Quant. Is it the end of the world if MIT sees three attempts? Not necessarily. But if you don’t end up beating your previous scores on your third attempt and you canceled your 720, you can always cancel the third score and reinstate the 720.
Let’s consider one more scenario with a lower second score. Say you earn a 740 on your first GMAT attempt, but your IR score is nothing special — maybe you earned a 5. On your second attempt, you score 720, but this time you earn an 8 in IR. I would cancel the 720. The fact is, your 740 is going to look much more impressive, even with the lower IR. The same goes for AWA. If you score 740 on your first attempt, with a 3 in AWA, and 720 on your second attempt, with a 5 in AWA, keeping the 720 just because your AWA is higher doesn’t make much sense. Business schools prioritize your Total Score above your AWA and IR scores, and so should you.
Scenario #3: Your Score is the Same on Your Retake
If you score the same on a retake as you did on a previous GMAT, you may or may not want to cancel your duplicate score, depending on the situation.
For instance, let’s say you already have 720 on your record, and you retake the exam and get another 720. However, on your first exam, you bombed the AWA or IR section, and on the second exam, you scored much higher in AWA or IR. For example, maybe you scored 2 on AWA on your first attempt and 5 on your second. Or you scored 3 in IR on your first and 7 on your second. In that case, you may want to keep the score from your second attempt. Even though your Total Score won’t have increased, you’ll be showing that your really disappointing first AWA or IR score was an anomaly.
Of course, if your first 720 has a far more favorable balance of Quant and Verbal scores, and you already have several GMAT attempts on your record, you’ll want to take those factors into account. If, for example, you earned a Q50/V38 with your first 720 and a Q46/V42 with your second 720, even with a higher AWA or IR score, canceling your second 720 may still be the right option for you. Why show schools that Quant score drop?
The fact is, MBA programs care far more about your Quant score than about your AWA or IR score. So, if anything, you can cancel the 720 with the lower Quant and take the exam once more. Hopefully, you’ll bounce back in Quant and keep your higher Verbal, thus earning a higher score overall, and maintain the solid AWA or IR performance you had on your second attempt. This is your career and your future we’re talking about. So if you have the opportunity, and you’ve seen what you’re truly capable of, why not aim for the best you can do on all counts?
With that in mind, if you earn a duplicate score, or even a Total Score that is very close to a previous one (whether slightly higher or slightly lower), always consider the balance of your section scores when deciding whether to cancel. While business schools generally like to see somewhat balanced section scores, they definitely emphasize Quant.
Clearly, every situation is different, so it’s important to carefully evaluate your unique goals and your situation on a case-by-case basis. The key point to remember is that if your situation falls into a gray area and you’re unsure of whether you’ll end up needing a particular score, you can always cancel the score, take some time to assess what you need, and reinstate the score later if necessary. The option to reinstate gives you some security in cases in which you feel you could go either way with your score. You don’t have to keep a score you’re unsure about, but you can get it back if you end up needing it.
TTP PRO TIP:
If your situation falls into a gray area and you’re unsure of whether you’ll end up needing a particular score, you can cancel the score, take some time to assess your situation, and reinstate the score later if necessary.
Now, many students ask themselves, don’t business schools like to see improvement and growth? Isn’t it good to show a score increase instead of one score? Let’s discuss.
Is “Showing Growth” a Good Idea?
One of the questions I hear from GMAT students all the time is whether business schools like to see improvement when it comes to GMAT scores. In other words, is it better to show one impressive score or to show increasing scores over the course of a few GMAT attempts?
Look, none of us can get into the minds of admissions committees, and certainly if you have a few attempts in your score history, it’s better if the scores have increased over time rather than decreased. However, there is no data out there suggesting that admissions committees prefer seeing multiple attempts with progressively higher scores to seeing one great GMAT score.
At the same time, if you’ve taken the GMAT 3 times and your score has increased each time, admissions committees may take that outcome as a sign of your grit and determination. On the other hand, we have to consider that the people who score 740 in one shot may appear to have planned their GMAT prep in a more realistic and effective way than those who needed multiple tries to achieve the same score.
If all of these considerations are making your head spin, the one thing we can say for sure is that admissions committees are well-aware that many (if not most) GMAT test-takers retake the exam at least once. So, there really is no stigma associated with taking the GMAT more than one time.
That said, you don’t want to become a GMAT score collector. Even if your score is improving, 6 GMAT attempts on your record could raise some eyebrows. Particularly if you have some lower-than-average scores in your history, having an expansive collection of GMAT scores may not do you any favors.
Moreover, if you took the GMAT 5 times and didn’t make much of an improvement from test 1 to test 5, you’re unlikely to score any points for grit. After all, if your persistence isn’t producing results, then you’re just spinning your wheels.
TTP PRO TIP:
Don’t become a GMAT score collector!
While there is no reason to think that having more than one GMAT attempt on your record will hurt your acceptance chances, I tend to believe that sending one, impressive GMAT score to schools is the best-case scenario if possible.
In other words, when in doubt, generally the safest bet is to cancel your score. After all, you have the option to reinstate your score later if you really need to. So, if there is a high likelihood that you’re never going to need a particular score again, or if you know that you’re going to retake the GMAT and shoot for a higher score, then you’re better off canceling your score at the test center than possibly having a less-than-ideal score on your record.
Luckily, the cost to reinstate a GMAT score is relatively small in the grand scheme of things, and if you have a solid strategy in place for your score, you likely won’t end up needing to spend that money anyway.
Remember, your GMAT score is another tool in your application toolbox that you can use to place yourself in the best possible light with admissions. If you’re shooting for 700 and you have two 650s on your record, you’re probably not strengthening your case.
In general, if your scores don’t increase much or remain basically the same over the course of several tests, it may appear as though you didn’t put in the necessary effort to improve. Admissions may wonder about a lack of dedication or strategic planning.
Certainly, if you have scores in your history that are significantly lower than the averages at your target schools, don’t count on earning brownie points for making a big improvement. For example, if your score report starts at 590 and ends at 730, you’ve achieved a fantastic improvement and should be very proud of your hard work. But if admissions at your target school is used to seeing scores in the 700 to 760 range, your 590 could give them pause, even though you ultimately hit the mark. You have to assume that your competition is showing only their absolute best to admissions, and you should do the same.
So, unless you’re really strapped for cash, err on the side of caution and cancel any scores that you’re unsure about or that don’t meet your ultimate goals. And if you’ve already sent a score to schools but later earn a higher score you want to send, don’t sweat it! Generally, business schools will focus on that higher score, as long as you get it to them by your application deadlines.
You have to assume that your competition is showing only their absolute best to admissions, and you should do the same.
Need some strategies for earning an enviable GMAT score? Check out this comprehensive guide to scoring 700+.
