Are you planning to take – or to retake – the GMAT?

Keeping informed of changes in the test’s format, policy, and structure will help you choose the right GMAT study plan for your goals, and help you get the best GMAT score possible.

On June 24, 2015, the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) announced a couple of important GMAT changes.

No More Cancelled GMAT Scores

The first change announced is one that students and test-takers have been requesting for years:

Cancelled scores will no longer be shown to schools when a test-taker submits their score report.

The way the test currently works is that students are shown their scores immediately after completing the GMAT.

At that point, they have the option to cancel their score, but the cancelled score (indicated by a “C”) will still remain on your official score report for the next five years.

With the upcoming GMAT changes, the process for cancelling scores will remain the same, but now when you cancel the score will be completely removed from your score report.

This is great news for students who are looking to get into a top-tier business school and want to make sure that only their best score is shown to admissions committees.

16 Days To Your Next GMAT

The second most important GMAT change with this new policy will be the waiting period between taking GMAT exams.

In the past, students had to wait 31 calendar days before taking the exam again, whether or not they cancelled their score.

With the new policy, students will be able to retake the GMAT after waiting only 16 calendar days.

A shortened waiting period to re-take the test will greatly benefit students who have short windows for their GMAT prep time, or students who need to re-test right before a school admissions deadline.

However, it is important to note that regardless of the upcoming GMAT changes, students will still not be able to take the test more than five times in a 12-month period.

Online Access For Official Score Report

The final change implemented by the GMAC is a minor policy change allowing students to access their Official Score Report on the web by using their date of birth to authenticate access, removing the need for a separate authentication code.

All three of these important GMAT changes will take effect beginning on July 19, 2015.

All three of these changes have been made with the best interests of test-takers in mind, and they should make it even easier for potential MBA students to devise an effective GMAT study plan.

What hasn’t changed, however, is the importance of the GMAT in the b school admissions process.

Your Turn

If you want to get into your target schools, you still need to plan carefully and take advantage of all the MBA admissions resources at your disposal.

This blog is a great place to learn about how to prepare for the GMAT and get into the right business school for your career goals. If you have more MBA admissions questions, we are here to help.