Figuring out how to send GMAT scores to schools is one of the last steps between you and your MBA application submission, and GMAC changed the rules with the Focus Edition. You get up to 5 free Official Score Reports inside a strict 48-hour window, then $35 per additional report after that, with schools receiving most submissions in under 8 hours. This guide walks you through the exact process, the current fees, the delivery timeline, and the edge cases (cancelled, reinstated, and older-than-5-year scores) so you do not leave free reports on the table or miss an application deadline.
Every GMAT Focus Edition registration includes up to five free Official Score Reports. They are genuinely free, but only if you use them inside a very specific window. Once you understand how GMAT free score reports actually work, the rest of the sending process is straightforward.
When you register for the GMAT Focus Edition, five Official Score Report sends are baked into the exam fee. You do not prepay for them, choose schools up front, or opt in — they appear automatically once your Official Score is released. You can split them across any five programs you like (different schools, different program types within the same school), but you cannot split one free report across two programs or save unused reports for a future exam.
The 48-hour clock is the single most misunderstood rule in this process. It does not start on test day and it does not start from the test-completion email. It starts the moment your Official Score Report becomes available in your mba.com account — typically 3 to 5 business days after the exam. You will receive an email from GMAC the second it drops. From that timestamp, you have exactly 48 hours to pick up to five programs and click Send. After that window closes, each additional send becomes a paid Additional Score Report.
Under the legacy GMAT, candidates had to pick schools before seeing the score. GMAT Focus Edition reversed that: you see your Official Score first, then decide whether (and to whom) to send. Each Focus score report contains only the scores from the single test date you select — not your historical GMAT scores, not your other Focus attempts, and never any cancelled scores. Schools genuinely do not see anything you have not deliberately chosen to send. Once you click the final confirm button, however, that send is permanent. It cannot be recalled, cancelled, or refunded.
Here is the exact click path to send GMAT scores to schools through your mba.com account. The whole flow takes under five minutes once you know where each button lives.
Sign in to mba.com with the same credentials you used to register for the exam. From the My Account dashboard, open the My Exams area and locate the specific GMAT Focus exam you want to send. Click View and Send Score. You will see your total score (205–805), Verbal (60–90), Quantitative (60–90), Data Insights (60–90), and your percentiles. Review everything before clicking Send Score — this is your last checkpoint before picking schools.
On the Send Score screen, use the program search box to look up institutions by school or program name. Most business schools maintain multiple entries — a full-time MBA, a part-time or evening MBA, an Executive MBA, sometimes a specialized masters, and increasingly an online MBA. Each has its own GMAT program code. Match the program your application actually targets; a reported score sent to the wrong program code does not automatically transfer to the right one.
Once you have selected up to five programs, review the summary screen carefully. Double-check every school name and degree type. Click Send GMAT Score to confirm. After confirmation, programs typically receive your Official Score Report within about 8 hours, though the system allows up to the end of the business day for processing. You will see each send move to a delivered status in your dashboard.
Worked Example
Setup: You took the GMAT Focus Edition on a Monday. On Thursday morning, you receive an email from GMAC saying your Official Score Report is available. You want to send it to Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, and Stern — the 5 programs on your Round 2 list — before the 48-hour window expires on Saturday morning.
A GMAT Additional Score Report (ASR) is how you send scores beyond the five free reports or after the 48-hour window has closed. ASRs use the same source data as the free reports, but they carry a per-program GMAT score report fee and take longer to arrive.
GMAC charges $35 per Additional Score Report when you order online through mba.com. Phone orders add a $10 service fee, for a total of $45 per report. All score reporting fees are non-refundable — once you place the order, you are committed. Plan for the extra cost up front: five schools beyond your free reports is an additional $175 at the online rate.
| Feature | Free Score Reports | Additional Score Reports (ASRs) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per report | $0 | $35 online / $45 by phone |
| Maximum programs | Up to 5 programs | Unlimited |
| Sending window | 48 hours after Official Score release | Anytime in the 5-year validity period |
| Delivery time to schools | Within ~8 hours | Within ~5–7 calendar days |
| Refundable? | Not applicable (free) | Non-refundable |
| Where you order | mba.com account (View and Send Score) | mba.com account or by phone |
Unlike the near-instant 8-hour free delivery, ASRs take about 5 to 7 calendar days to reach each program. That delay has a direct consequence for application timing: if your Round 2 deadline is on a Monday, an ASR ordered the Friday before may not arrive in time. Build in at least 10 days of buffer before the deadline for anything ordered as an ASR.
If you are applying to exactly five programs, send all five free reports immediately during the 48-hour window — there is no benefit to waiting. If you are applying to more than five, spend your five free reports on the schools with the earliest deadlines first, then plan ASRs for the rest with enough lead time. If you are shopping your score to scholarship programs or waiting on admission decisions before committing, you can hold off on most sends and use ASRs strategically later, since your score remains valid for five years.
Estimate the total cost of sending your GMAT score to all the schools on your list, based on how many programs you apply to and whether you order online or by phone.
The full GMAT score report timeline has several moving parts. Getting the sequence right is the difference between a relaxed application cycle and a last-minute scramble.
Your unofficial score is shown on screen the moment you finish the test. It is accurate, and it is yours to keep, but it is not sendable. Schools only accept the Official Score Report, which is released later through mba.com and carries the percentile data, section breakdowns, and performance insights that admissions committees actually review.
Official Score Reports are typically posted to your mba.com account 3 to 5 business days after the exam. In atypical cases — score verifications, scoring holds, or test-center issues — GMAC allows up to 20 business days. Plan around the standard 3–5 day window, but do not book a test right against a deadline on the assumption that your score will be instant.
Once you click Send GMAT Score on a free report, the program typically receives the Official Score Report within 8 hours. That is fast enough that most applicants can send on the morning of a deadline and still make it — but only for free reports inside the 48-hour window. Paid ASRs do not enjoy the 8-hour path; budget 5 to 7 calendar days for those.
| Milestone | Typical Timing | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| End of test | Immediately | Unofficial scores shown on screen; you can view but not send |
| Official Score release | 3–5 business days after the exam | Email arrives; Official Score appears in your mba.com account |
| Free reports window | 48 hours from Official Score release | Send up to 5 free reports to programs of your choice |
| Free report delivery | Within ~8 hours of submission | Programs receive your Official Score Report |
| Additional Score Reports | Ordered any time in 5-year window | Delivered to programs within ~5–7 calendar days |
| Atypical delays | Up to 20 business days | Rare holds, score verifications, or flagged tests may take longer |
Most applicants are sending fresh scores, but three edge cases come up often enough to deserve their own rules. GMAT selective score sending under the Focus Edition makes each of these more manageable than it used to be — but each has its own cost and timing quirks.
GMAT scores are officially valid for five years from the test date. Scores aged 5 to 10 years move into an archived category. You can request that archived scores be sent to programs, but only if you have not taken a GMAT exam within the last five years. Archived score reports include a disclaimer advising schools to interpret older scores with caution. Scores older than 10 years are no longer available at all.
If you cancelled a GMAT score at the test center or inside the cancellation window, that score never appears on any Official Score Report sent to a school. Schools receive no indication you took the exam on that date. Under the Focus Edition, this applies to every attempt — schools only see the scores you deliberately choose to send from the specific test dates you select.
If you cancelled a score you later want to use, GMAC lets you reinstate it for a $50 fee up to 4 years and 11 months after the test date. Processing can take up to a month. Once reinstated, the score is automatically sent to the schools you picked on test day (if any) — and you cannot change that list afterward. To send a reinstated score to new schools, you need to order a separate $35 ASR for each new program.
| Scenario | Applies To | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First 5 programs within 48 hours | Any test-taker with an Official Score | $0 |
| 6th program (or after 48 hours) | Applicants sending beyond 5 free reports | $35 per program (online) |
| Phone order of additional report | Applicants ordering by phone | $45 per program |
| Archived score (5–10 years old) | No GMAT in last 5 years | $35 per program (ASR) |
| Reinstating a cancelled score | Within 4 years 11 months of test date | $50 reinstatement fee |
| Sending a reinstated score to new schools | Beyond test-day pick list | $35 per additional program |
Pick your situation to see exactly what you will pay per school.
The mistakes below cost applicants real money and real application slots every cycle. All of them are avoidable once you know the right GMAT program code behavior and how the sending windows behave.
The most common and expensive mistake is simply not checking your email quickly enough after the score drops. Many applicants assume the 48-hour clock starts on test day and then discover three days later that their free window has already closed. Set a calendar reminder 3 days after your exam to check mba.com every few hours; once the email arrives, send your reports the same day.
Most major business schools have multiple GMAT program codes — one per degree format. Wharton, for example, lists separate codes for the full-time MBA, the Executive MBA, and specialized masters. Sending your score to the EMBA code when you are applying to the full-time MBA does not automatically redirect it. Match the program code to the exact degree listed on your application before you confirm.
Additional Score Reports take up to a week to arrive, so ordering one the night before your application deadline is a serious risk. Order any ASR at least 10 days in advance. Also, remember that once a score is sent — free or paid — it cannot be recalled or refunded. Finally, confirm that each program you target accepts the GMAT Focus Edition score scale (205–805 total, 60–90 per section); almost every MBA program now does, but some older or niche program pages still reference the legacy 200–800 scale.
The quick answers below cover the questions students ask most often about sending GMAT scores. Expand any item for the full answer.