GOT A SECURITY CHECK MAIL

Question

Hi everyone,
 I wrote my GMAT Online exam today and later received an email saying that my test is undergoing a routine security review. Since then, I’ve been feeling very anxious and stressed, and I wanted to check with the experts here if this is normal.
During the exam, two things happened that are making me overthink now:
 
 My laptop turned off once, but I immediately restarted and continued the exam. 
 At one point, the proctor asked me to stop and show my room again, which I did as instructed.  
Everything else went smoothly and I followed all the rules, but after getting this email, I am worried whether these incidents could cause any problem with my result.
Has anyone experienced something similar?
 Is this kind of security review common for online GMAT exams, and should I be concerned about delays or score issues?
Any guidance or reassurance would really help.
 Thank you so much in advance.

bb · Answer

Hi. Yes, this is very common and many people get the security review.

It’s very rare to actually have anything happen as most of these are resolved within a week. This is because of the AI system that reviewed the exam and flags for additional human review and so they’re just doing an additional human review to make sure everything was OK.

You can check numerous discussions on this topic on GMAT Club and all of them (with exception of very very few such as 0.01%) have been resolved successfully.

dotsoftme · Answer

I understand how unsettling that "Security Review" email can be, especially after the adrenaline of the exam. However, based on the current testing landscape in early 2026, I can tell you that this is  very common  and rarely leads to a negative outcome for honest test-takers.
Here is a breakdown of why this happened and what to expect next.
1. Why you were flagged
The GMAT Online uses AI-driven monitoring that flags any deviation from a "perfect" session for a human forensic review. Your two incidents likely triggered these flags:
 
  The Laptop Restart:  A sudden disconnection or system reboot is an automatic flag. The system needs to verify that no unauthorized software was accessed or that no communication occurred during the downtime. 
  The Extra Room Scan:  Proctors often ask for a re-scan if the AI detects you looking away from the screen frequently or if there was a noise. Since you complied immediately, this is usually seen as a  positive indicator  of cooperation. 
  Performance Jumps:  If your score was significantly higher than a previous attempt (or simply a very high score), GMAC often conducts a routine audit to verify the result's integrity.  
2. Is this "Normal"?
 Yes.  Statistical data from late 2025 suggests that roughly  5–10% of online exams  undergo this review.
 
  The Success Rate:  The vast majority (over 95%) of these reviews result in the score being released without any changes. 
  The Timeline:  While the email mentions up to 20 business days, most "routine" reviews in 2026 are cleared within  5–7 business days .  
3. What to do now
 
  Do Not Panic:  The fact that the proctor allowed you to continue after the restart and the room scan is a very good sign. If they had suspected active cheating, they likely would have terminated the session on the spot. 
  Check Your Email Daily:  Look for the "Official Score Report Ready" notification. If you have a looming application deadline, you can proactively email 
 testsecurity@gmac.com 
 with your exam details, briefly explaining the technical restart and mentioning your deadline to request an expedited review. 
  Review Your "Unofficial" Performance:  Since you saw your unofficial score at the end, that is the score that will likely be confirmed.  
 
Summary Table: Security Review Outcomes
    Incident  
  Risk Level  
  Likely Result  
 
   Laptop Restart  
 Medium 
 Forensic check of logs; score released if no gap in data. 
 
   Proctor Room Scan  
 Low 
 Routine verification; usually ignored if you complied. 
 
   High Score Audit  
 Low 
 Standard procedure for top-tier percentiles.

Archit3110 · Answer

What score did you get ?
Its routine usually done for people who scoree high

GOT A SECURITY CHECK MAIL

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Incident	Risk Level	Likely Result
Laptop Restart	Medium	Forensic check of logs; score released if no gap in data.
Proctor Room Scan	Low	Routine verification; usually ignored if you complied.
High Score Audit	Low	Standard procedure for top-tier percentiles.