How long does it take for business schools to receive GMAT scores after the exam?

After taking the GMAT exam, it is crucial for test takers to understand when and how their scores will be sent to the business schools they have applied to. The process of sending GMAT scores to business schools involves several steps and may take some time to complete. Let's break down the timeline and explain the process in detail.

Step 1: Score Reporting
- Once the GMAT exam is completed, the scores are initially available to the test taker on the official GMAT website.
- Test takers can view their unofficial scores immediately after the exam, including the Verbal, Quantitative, Integrated Reasoning, and Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) sections.
- However, these unofficial scores are not considered official until they are sent to the designated business schools.

Step 2: Score Cancellation or Acceptance
- Test takers have the option to cancel their scores immediately after the exam if they are not satisfied with their performance.
- If they choose to accept their scores, the next step is to select the business schools they want their scores to be sent to.

Step 3: Processing Time
- Once the test taker confirms their score acceptance and selects the business schools, the official score reports are generated.
- It typically takes around 20 calendar days for the official score reports to be processed and sent to the designated business schools.
- This processing time includes the time taken to verify the validity and accuracy of the scores.

Step 4: Score Delivery
- The official score reports are sent electronically to the business schools. The scores are delivered directly to the schools' admissions departments.
- It is important to note that the delivery method is electronic, and no physical score reports are mailed to the schools.

Step 5: Schools' Processing Time
- Once the business schools receive the official score reports, they need some time to process the scores and update the applicants' profiles accordingly.
- The processing time varies from school to school, but it generally takes a few weeks for the schools to update the applicants' records and consider the GMAT scores as part of the admissions process.

Overall, the entire process of sending GMAT scores to business schools, from the completion of the exam to the schools' receipt of the scores, can take approximately 3-4 weeks. It is advisable for test takers to plan their application timeline accordingly and ensure that they submit their GMAT scores well in advance to meet the business schools' application deadlines.