The short answer
You can retake the GMAT, but GMAC sets limits. You must wait at least 16 calendar days between attempts (accessed 2026-08-07), and you can take it up to five times in a rolling 12-month period and up to eight times in your lifetime. The lifetime cap is easy to forget, so treat every sitting as one you meant to take.
What “rolling 12 months” means
The 12-month window isn't the calendar year — it looks back 12 months from each attempt. If you tested in March, that sitting still counts against your limit the following February. Plan your attempts so a genuine retake near application deadlines doesn't run into the cap.
Schools only see your latest score
Retaking is lower-stakes than it used to be. On the GMAT Focus Edition, the Official Score Report that schools receive shows only your most recent score (accessed 2026-08-07), not your full history. You see your result before you decide whether to send it — so a weak day doesn't have to follow you to the admissions office.
How to think about a retake
A retake pays off when you have a specific, fixable reason your score came in low — a section you ran out of time on, or content you hadn't finished reviewing. Book far enough ahead to actually address it, not just to sit again. The 16-day gap is a floor, not a study plan.
Sources
Every source below was accessed on the listed date. Pages — especially department admissions pages — change without notice; the links go to the live versions.
- GMAT Exam Policies — GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
- GMAT Focus Edition FAQs — GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
- The GMAT Exam (GMAT Focus Edition) — GMAC. Accessed 2026-08-07.
Related guides
Sources and corrections
Sources last checked 2026-08-07Every source cited on this page was checked on the date shown, and we update the page when a source changes. If something looks wrong, tell us and we'll recheck it.