The GMAT rescheduling policy uses a three-tier fee system based on how many days before your test you make the change — and a strict 24-hour cutoff after which no refunds or date changes are possible. This guide breaks down every fee, every refund amount, and the exact decision framework for rescheduling versus canceling, so you don't lose more of your $275 registration fee than necessary.
The GMAT rescheduling policy is organized around a simple idea: the closer you are to your test date, the more you pay. GMAC uses three tiers, and the fee at each tier differs slightly between test-center and online appointments. There's also a hard 24-hour cutoff before your start time where changes are blocked entirely.
| Days Before Your Test | Test Center Fee | Online Fee |
|---|---|---|
| More than 60 days | $55 | $60 |
| 15–60 days | $110 | $120 |
| 14 or fewer days | $165 | $180 |
| Less than 24 hours | Not allowed | Not allowed |
The cheapest tier is the "more than 60 days" window — only $55 at a test center. Once you cross into the 15–60 day window, the GMAT reschedule fee doubles to $110. Inside the final 14 days, it triples to $165. For students who make the change with less than two weeks to go, rescheduling once nearly matches the cost of a fresh registration in some emerging markets.
Online rescheduling runs $5 to $15 higher than test-center rescheduling at every tier. The gap mirrors the registration-fee premium for online delivery ($300 vs. $275). If you're flexible about format, switching to a test center and rescheduling in the same session can sometimes lower both your reschedule fee and your effective seat cost — but the math only works if you can actually travel.
Per GMAC's exam policies, "appointment changes cannot be made or modified within twenty-four (24) hours of the start of the exam appointment time." This is not a soft warning — the mba.com system locks changes past that point. If you need to use GMAC customer service by phone (for example, as an international test taker whose account isn't processing online), expect an additional $10 service fee layered on top of the standard tier price.
Pick how many days before your test you are to see the applicable fee tier.
If you've decided to drop the GMAT entirely rather than just move your date, the GMAT cancellation policy mirrors the rescheduling tier structure — but instead of paying a fee, you recover a partial refund. The amount you get back shrinks the closer you are to your test date, and vanishes completely in the final 24 hours.
| Days Before Your Test | Test Center Refund | Online Refund | Amount Forfeited (Test Center) |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 60 days | $110 | $120 | $165 of $275 |
| 15–60 days | $80 | $90 | $195 of $275 |
| 14 or fewer days | $55 | $60 | $220 of $275 |
| Less than 24 hours / No-show | $0 | $0 | $275 of $275 |
Even in the best case — canceling more than 60 days out — you still forfeit $165 of the $275 test-center registration fee. At the 15–60 day tier, the refund drops to $80, and in the final two weeks it's just $55. Online cancellations run $10 higher in refund amount at each tier, which partially offsets the online registration premium.
Once you're inside the 24-hour window, the system stops accepting cancellations entirely. If you don't show up, GMAC marks the attempt as a no-show in your account history. The score report itself stays clean — no-shows don't appear on reports sent to schools — but the full registration fee is forfeited. One upside: after a no-show, you only wait 24 hours before booking a new seat, not the usual 16 days between completed attempts.
Worked Example
Priya registered for the GMAT at a test center for $275. Eighteen days before her appointment, a family emergency means she can't travel to the test site and won't rebook for at least a year.
Vouchers and fee waivers that covered part or all of your original registration are non-refundable. They can't be redirected to pay for rescheduling fees either — those must be paid with a card. If your original seat was fully covered by a voucher, a cancellation refund may return $0 in cash even though your account shows a credit.
Every legitimate GMAT appointment change happens through your official mba.com account. Third-party sites cannot reschedule or cancel on your behalf, and the process is fast when it goes smoothly — most test takers finish a reschedule in under ten minutes.
A reschedule is an eight-step flow: log into your mba.com account, select the exam you want to move, pick a new date and time, accept GMAC's policies, verify your appointment and contact details, confirm billing, review the final date and location, and submit payment. Save the confirmation email. If it never arrives, log back in and check the appointment status — an interrupted change may not have posted.
Cancellation is simpler: log in, select the exam, confirm cancellation. Because the refund flows to your original payment method, it may take several business days to post. The biggest mistake here is starting a cancellation without completing the confirmation step — if the exam stays active, you can still be marked a no-show.
GMAC limits reschedules to dates within six months of your original appointment. If you need to push further out — say, to realign with a next-year application cycle — you have to cancel the existing seat and register a fresh one later. That's typically a losing move financially, so try to fit your new date inside the six-month envelope whenever possible.
Most students who think they need to cancel actually just need to postpone. Rescheduling lets you keep your registration active — including the free score reports to up to 5 MBA programs bundled in — while canceling forces you to pay the full registration fee all over again if you want to come back. Run the numbers before you click.
| Your Situation | Better Option | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Need more prep time, still testing within 6 months | Reschedule | Single fee; you keep your registration and momentum. |
| Want to switch from test center to online or vice versa | Reschedule | Rescheduling lets you change delivery mode without re-registering. |
| Decided not to pursue an MBA at all | Cancel | Recover whatever partial refund you qualify for. |
| Pausing prep for 6+ months | Cancel | Reschedule window is capped at 6 months from original date. |
| Inside the 24-hour window | Neither possible | System blocks changes; a no-show forfeits the full fee. |
Enter your timing, delivery mode, and whether you plan to retake to see the true net cost of each choice.
Whenever you intend to take the GMAT within six months, rescheduling wins. Even in the worst-case 14-day-or-fewer tier, you pay $165 (test center) or $180 (online) and keep everything else. Compare that to canceling at the same tier: you lose $220 (forfeited from your $275 seat) and then pay another $275 when you re-register — a $440 net cost.
Worked Example
Marcus needs 30 extra days to prepare. He's 10 days out from a test-center appointment. Should he reschedule or cancel and re-register later?
Cancel only if you've genuinely stepped away from the GMAT — either permanently or for more than six months. If you're not sure, reschedule to the furthest allowed date (up to six months out) and use the extra runway to decide. Worst case, you can cancel that rescheduled appointment later if plans truly change.
Beyond the obvious dollars, canceling wipes out the free score-report recipients you selected at registration and any vouchers or discounts that were applied. You also lose your slot in the booking queue — re-registering at short notice may force you into inconvenient times or distant test centers. Rescheduling, by contrast, keeps your seat and only moves the date.
Rescheduling doesn't consume a GMAT attempt — only actually sitting for the exam does. But once you've tested, GMAC's retake rules govern when you can book your next seat, so understanding the constraints before you reschedule helps you plan realistic dates.
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Minimum wait between attempts | 16 calendar days |
| Maximum attempts per rolling 12-month period | 5 attempts |
| Lifetime attempt limit | 8 attempts |
| Retest ban after a perfect 805 | 5 years |
| Wait after a no-show | 24 hours |
After taking the GMAT, you must wait a full 16 calendar days before your next attempt — online or test center, the rule is the same. If you tested on February 10th, your earliest retake date is February 27th. Many students miscount and book for day 15, only to get a system rejection at checkout.
GMAC caps attempts at 5 within any rolling 12-month window and 8 over your lifetime. Both online and test-center attempts count toward the same totals. If you're canceling with the intention of retaking later, remember that each sit-down costs an attempt — not each registration.
A no-show doesn't count toward the 16-day or 5-attempt limits because you never actually tested. GMAC applies a lighter 24-hour hold: you can book a new appointment after one day. The trade-off is that you've forfeited the full registration fee for the skipped seat.
GMAC does make exceptions. Documented emergencies — serious illness, bereavement, military obligations — can qualify for a free reschedule or full refund that bypasses the standard fee tiers. Approval is case-by-case and not guaranteed, so preparation matters.
Emergencies that GMAC considers include serious medical issues requiring hospitalization, the death of an immediate family member, military deployment or orders, and natural-disaster displacement. Routine illness (a cold, a bad day) and ordinary work conflicts generally do not qualify. The standard is "extenuating circumstance beyond the test taker's control."
Bring paperwork. A doctor's note from a licensed physician, a death certificate, or official military orders are the typical documents GMAC accepts. Photos or screenshots of text messages are not sufficient. Submit documentation in English whenever possible, or include a certified translation.
Contact GMAC customer service before your scheduled appointment if you can. Explain the situation, attach documentation, and ask specifically for either a free reschedule or a full refund based on extenuating circumstances. If you've already missed the exam, request a review anyway — some post-hoc cases are approved, but the success rate drops substantially after a no-show is recorded.
GMAT rescheduling fees depend on how many days before your appointment you make the change. At a test center, you'll pay $55 (60+ days out), $110 (15–60 days), or $165 (14 days or fewer). Online fees are slightly higher at $60, $120, and $180 respectively. Phone rescheduling adds a $10 service fee.
At a test center, you can recover $110 if you cancel more than 60 days out, $80 between 15 and 60 days, or $55 with 14 days or fewer. Online refunds are slightly higher at $120, $90, and $60. Within 24 hours of your appointment, no refund is available and no changes can be made.
No. Per GMAC policy, you cannot reschedule or cancel your GMAT appointment within 24 hours of your scheduled start time. If you miss the exam without canceling in advance, you forfeit the entire registration fee and are marked as a no-show in your account history.