retaking the gmat no more than 5 times per year

Question

Hi,

I have some doubt about the policy of retaking the gmat no more than 5 times per year.
Precisely, what does it mean?

A) starting from January to December, you can re-take the exam 5 times;
B) starting from when you took the test your first time, you can re-take it 5 times (eg. I took my first GMAT exam in June 2015, so I can take the test other 4 times until June and then I can take the test other 5 times more).

Thanks in advance for your replies

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear pepo , I'm happy to respond. :-)

In my understanding, none of GMAC's time-related policies are keyed to calendar year. For example, when they say that scores are good for five years, that's five years from the date of taking the exam, not five calendar years. Much in the same way, I would think calendar year is irrelevant in this policy. In other words, if I were daft enough to take a GMAT on March 1, then May 1, then July 1, then September 1, then November 1, I would have five exams in a 12-month period and would have to wait until March 1 of next year before taking another GMAT. Now, having said that, all of this should be irrelevant. Plan to succeed. Do everything you need to do, right now, so that the very next time you take the GMAT, you do your very best. Make the complete commitment to excellence and follow it through in every detail. Once you are in the business world, you usually will not get multiple chances to do something right. Instead, the opportunity will arise, and you will have one chance to bring your best to it. Treat the GMAT that way. Yes, if you are sick that day or something else unexpected arises, that would be a valid reason for a retake, but other than that, do not sit for the GMAT with any plan to retake. Don't give yourself an escape hatch. Don't plan to fail at any level. Plan 100% for success and commit yourself 100% to success as if your life depended on it. That's my two cents. Mike :-)

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pepo,

The rule is 'no more than 5 times in one 12-month period', so if you took the GMAT on April 1st, 2016... then you could take it up to 4 more times before April 1st, 2017.

Since you're asking about this, I have to assume that you have some concerns about how many times you have taken (or will take) the GMAT.

1) Have you taken the GMAT already? If so, then how many times and on what dates?
2) How did you score on each of your GMATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?
3) What is your goal score?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

In simple words, you can take the GMAT 5 times within an year from the date that you took your first GMAT. Option B

pepo · Answer

Thanks to everybody for the answers provided.

I sent an enquiry to mba.con and here is their answer:

"You may take the GMAT® exam once every 16 calendar days and no more than five (5) times in a rolling 12-month period.'
A rolling 12-month period: After having taken the exam five times in 12 months, you’ll need to wait until each exam appointment you’ve had becomes older than 12 months before testing again."

From above, what I understand is that I can take the GMAT 5 times within an year from the date that you took your LAST GMAT exam.

Do you agree guys?

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Yes pepo,

That is correct. 
This is a classic example of a simple question becoming too difficult :D

pepo · Answer

Thanks for your reply. Based on what written this is correct the following hypothetical case ? (I didn't take and I won't take all these exams btw)

1st gmat - took on June 2015
2nd gmat - took on January 2016
3rd gmat - will take on April 2016
4th gmat - will take on May 2016
5th gmat - will take on June 2016

6th gmat - will take on July 2016 (because my first gmat exam was taken on June 2015, more than a 12months rolling period).

OptimusPrepJanielle · Answer

Hahaha ... yes you are absolutely right!
To add to it, if you took the first exam on the 10th of June 2015, then you can take the 5th exam on the 11th of June 2016.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi pepo,

I'm going to add a bit more detail to your example and make a slight change to it.

1st gmat - took on June 1st, 2015 
2nd gmat - took on January 2016
3rd gmat - will take on February 2016
4th gmat - will take on March 2016
5th gmat - will take on April 2016

Since this would be 5 total attempts within the last 12 months, you could then take your next attempt on June 1st, 2016 (but THAT attempt would then give you a total of 5 attempts since January 1st, 2016 - so you would not be able to attempt again until January 1st, 2017).

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

AjiteshArun · Answer

Not sure how you're going about this. There cannot be more than 5 GMAT appointments scheduled in  any  12 month (block) period.

kendrikFROMkenya · Answer

If I get a medical note, can the exam be removed from the total count?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi kendrikFROMkenya,

You pose an interesting question, but I'm not sure how a 'medical note' would be relevant to this issue (especially if you took your Official GMAT as scheduled and completed the entire Exam).

Can you go into more detail about your situation and why you think that this specific attempt should be removed from your total-attempts?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

GiuSO · Answer

Hi kendrikFROMkenya, did you had some answer about thtat? I'm right now in this situation, one of the 5 exams that I took I was really sick and didn't had the time to cancel or reschedule. Now I'm trying to make contact with GMAT, but it seems impossible to talk to someone there.

Please, let me know if you know something about this.

bb · Answer

Hi. Any test that was taken, was a test that was taken but if you had a test that you did not show up for and therefore did not take, that should not count towards your five exams within a rolling 12 month period Limitation.

When you said you were really sick and didn’t cancel, did you end up going to the exam? If you did not take the test, it doesn’t count as a taken test. Let me know if that’s not the case in your account.

Posted from my mobile device

GiuSO · Answer

Since I was not able to cancel, and the test was at home, I did the test eitherway. I had no idea that if I did not show up, it would not count as a test taken.

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retaking the gmat no more than 5 times per year

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