The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a crucial aspect of the business school application process, with the GMAT scores being accepted at more than 7,700 programs at 2,400 universities and organizations in 110 countries. A good GMAT score can increase your chances of getting into your dream business school and pursuing a successful career in management.
- The GMAT measures your skills in areas such as Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Integrated Reasoning and Analytical Writing, and its results are used by colleges to evaluate your readiness for graduate-level business studies.
- Almost every business school has a similar application process with students applying for their candidature with an application form along with their GMAT score.
- So, Let's say you appeared in the GMAT exam and also received your GMAT score. Now how do you apply to a Business school of your choice? It’s not as hard as it might seem. You need to select the schools that will receive your GMAT score, that's it. But how do you do that? This article will guide you through the details about sending your GMAT scores to colleges while also providing other important information on the way.
- Selecting the schools to receive your GMAT score is a critical step in your application process. However, before doing so, it is essential that you gain an understanding of the different types of score reports and the information they contain.
Types of GMAT score reports
GMAC, the creator of the GMAT, generates more than one kind of score report each of them containing different types/amounts of information, which is useful for different use cases.
- Unofficial Score Report: Provided immediately after completing the exam, this score report gives you a quick glimpse of your test results.
- Official Score Report: Sent to the schools of your choice, this score report is an official record of your GMAT performance.
- Enhanced Score Report: This score report, available for purchase after your official scores are released, provides additional insights into your test performance and can help guide future test preparation.
Unofficial Score Report
After completing the GMAT exam, an unofficial score preview is shown on screen containing scores for Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Integrated Reasoning, and Total Score.
The Analytical Writing Assessment score is not included in the preview, as this section is scored by a machine algorithm and a human tester.
Exams taken at a test center
- After the exam, when the unofficial scorecard is displayed, you have two minutes to accept or cancel the unofficial score.
- If no decision is made, the score will be automatically cancelled.
- You can cancel the score within 72 hours after the exam through mba.com for a fee.
- If the score is accepted, you will receive a printout of the unofficial score preview.
Exams taken online
- After the exam, the unofficial score report is displayed on your screen but you are not allowed to take a screenshot or photo of the unofficial score preview.
- Printouts of unofficial score previews are not available for online GMAT exams.
Sample Unofficial Score report(www.mba.com)
Official Score Report
- Typically, you can access your Official Score Report through your mba.com account within 7 business days, although processing can take up to 20 business days. You will receive an email notification when it is ready.
- The report includes information such as your exam appointment details, personal information provided during registration, individual section scores, overall score, and percentile ranking.
If applicable, it will also display scores from any other GMAT exams taken in the last five years. - The Official Score Report sent to schools not only includes your score details but also your test center photo, contact and demographic information, and any self-reported data like GPA. However, the schools will not have access to the information about where else you have sent your scores.
Sample official score report(mba.com)
Enhanced Score Report
- The GMAT Enhanced Score Report (ESR) provides a comprehensive analysis of your test performance, including your strengths and weaknesses and time management. It offers a more detailed breakdown of each section of the GMAT.
- The report is private and can be ordered for a cancelled score within 5 years of your exam date, at a cost of $30 through GMAC. You can access the ESR for a given GMAT through your mba.com account within 24-72 hours of taking the exam. It's important to note that the ESR is not currently available for GMAT Online exams.
- With an understanding of the various GMAT score reports and when they are accessible, let's turn to the crucial question of how to send GMAT scores to schools. You can select the schools that receive your GMAT exam scores before and after the exam as well.
Selecting the schools on GMAT Exam day
- When taking the GMAT, you have the option to send your Official GMAT Score Report to up to five schools for free. The schools you select will receive the scores at the same time they become available on your online account, usually within 20 days of your exam date. You do not need to know the school codes, simply search for the school by name to select it, making sure to choose the correct department if applicable.
- This service is included in your GMAT registration fee, so you don't need to pay extra for score reports. It's a good idea to decide where you want to send scores before the exam, so you can take advantage of the free option if you're satisfied with your score. However, you don't need to have five schools selected, you can send scores to only one school if you prefer and add more later.
- For exams taken at a test center, you must choose up to 5 programs before starting the exam. Once you make your selection, it cannot be changed. Your score will be automatically sent to the chosen programs if you accept it at the test center or reinstate it later.
- For exams taken online, you can log into your mba.com account and select the programs to send your score to after receiving the email notification. You must send the score report within 48 hours of it being available. You can review the score report before making a decision to send it to schools.
Note: Each score report will only include the score for the corresponding exam channel (test center or online). Test center score reports will show all accepted scores within the past 5 years, but not cancelled scores. Online score reports will only include the selected single score and no historical scores. Cancelled scores due to testing issues or policy violations will remain on your Official Score Report.
Selecting the schools after the GMAT exam/Additional score reports
- If you don't select any score recipients on the test day or wish to send scores to additional schools later, you can order Additional Score Reports. These reports cost $35 per recipient and are identical to the Official Score Report sent on test day, with the only difference being the timing of recipient selection.
- You can order Additional Score Reports through your mba.com account, by phone with a $10 surcharge, or by mail/fax with payment options of credit card, personal check, cashier's check, or money order. However, note that if you order Additional Score Reports within 72 hours of the exam, you cannot cancel your GMAT score.
- Also, allow up to 7 days for scores to reach schools and keep in mind that scores over 5 years old are expired and cannot be ordered as Additional Score Reports.
- If your scores are between 5 and 10 years old, you can request to send them to programs as long as you haven't taken the GMAT within the past 5 years
Viewing and sending scores for the online GMAT exam
- The process of viewing and sending scores for the GMAT Online differs from the in-person GMAT. Unlike in-person exams, there are no unofficial scores given for the GMAT Online, and you will receive an official score report via email within 7 business days. The report will include your scores for the Quant, Verbal, IR sections, Total Score, and score percentiles.
- It's important to note that the Official Score Report for the GMAT Online is separate from the report for in-person GMATs, so there won't be a 5-year history of all GMATs taken. As a result, you will have two separate score reports: one for in-person GMATs and one for the GMAT Online. You have the option to send only your in-person GMAT scores and not your GMAT Online score, and in this case, schools will not know that you took the GMAT Online.
- On the other hand, you can choose to send only your GMAT Online score, and schools will not know that you took the in-person GMAT. It's important to note that you cannot cancel a GMAT Online score, and schools will only see your GMAT Online score if you choose to send it.
What if I Canceled My GMAT Score?
- As we already mentioned, canceled scores will not be viewable by you or by any of the schools that receive your GMAT scores. However, if you cancel a GMAT score and decide that you want to reinstate it so you can send it to schools, you can do so as long as your score is still valid, so within five years of the exam date.
- Keep in mind that it may take up to a month for your score reinstatement to be processed, and then the score will be sent to your recipients shortly after that.
- Furthermore, you will not be able to alter the original list of score recipients you selected at the time of your exam; if you selected any score recipients when you sat for that exam, they will automatically receive the score after you reinstate it.
- You will be able to view the original list of schools before you confirm that you want to reinstate your score. And, of course, if you want to send the reinstated score to schools that aren’t on your original list, you can purchase Additional Score Reports to do so.
- You can reinstate your canceled score online for $50 (or by phone for $60). Sending that score to your original list of up to five schools will be free, and no schools that receive your reinstated score will know that the score was ever canceled.
- Now that we’ve discussed how and when you can send GMAT scores to schools, let’s review the various timelines for sending GMAT scores.
How long does it take for schools to receive your sent scores
The following table shows the estimated time taken for scores to be received by schools under different scenarios.
If | Then |
You send your GMAT score from the test center. | Schools will receive your score within 3 weeks. |
You take the GMAT Online. | Your score will be available within 7 business days, and schools will receive it within 24 hours after you send it. |
You order Additional Score Reports (in-person GMAT only). | Schools will receive your score within 7 days. |
You reinstate a cancelled score. | Your original list of score recipients will receive your score in about 1 month. |
Now that you know about the process of sending your scores to schools, you might want to know more about the cutoffs and tuition fees of the top colleges in the world. In that case, you’re in luck, EduRev has crafted the exact video that you’d need. We have discussed the top 10 B-schools in the world, their GMAT cutoffs, acceptance range and rates, and average salaries. Check it out by clicking on the link below.
Also read: MBA Graduates' Average Salaries: Ranking the Top 10 Countries
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on How to send GMAT scores
How to send GMAT scores to B-schools?
You can either send your scores directly from the test center at the time of your exam or via your mba.com account for exams taken online. To send your scores to schools, follow these steps:
- Log into your mba.com
- Select five schools in the “score reports” section
- Send the scores to the selected schools
What happens if I don't send my GMAT scores to schools?
If you don't send your scores to schools, they will not have your GMAT scores to consider during the admissions process. It is recommended that you select schools. Most schools require applicants to submit their GMAT scores in order to be considered for admission, so it is important to make sure you send your scores to any schools that require them.
Can I cancel a score report after I've sent it to a school?
No, you cannot cancel a score report after you have sent it to a school. Once you have sent your GMAT scores to a business school, the scores cannot be retracted. Before sending your scores, it is important to carefully consider which schools you want to send your scores to and to ensure that the scores accurately reflect your abilities
Is there a fee for sending GMAT scores to schools?
There is no fee for sending your first five score reports for exams taken at a test center. Additional reports can be sent for a fee of $35. For exams taken online, score reports can be sent for free within 48 hours of receiving your scores.
How many schools can I send my GMAT scores to?
You can send your GMAT scores to only five schools for free. If you wish to add additional recipients for your GMAT score, you can do so by paying an extra fee of $35 per recipient added.