GMAT Exam Dates 2024-25 | Scheduling your GMAT Test Date

Are you seeking answers to the following questions about your GMAT exam dates?

• When can I take the GMAT?
• What are the GMAT exam dates for 2024-2025?
• When is a good time to take the GMAT?
• How should I choose my GMAT test date?
• What is the Minimum days between two attempst of the test?

You have come to the right place for all your GMAT exam registration questions.

What are the GMAT exam dates for 2024-2025?

You can take the GMAT exam almost throughout the year. In most countries, the test is offered almost every single day of the year. Test takers should book an appointment to take the test anywhere from a few days before the GMAT test date to a few months in advance depending on the number of test takers in the location and the time of the year.

For instance, Indian test takers who will want to schedule their GMAT exam date in October might need to complete registration process for the GMAT at least a few weeks before the desired GMAT test date because that is the peak season to catch R2 deadlines of leading business schools for MBA admissions in Fall.

What is the best time to take the GMAT exam?

There is no good or bad time to take the GMAT, in terms of the difficulty of the questions in the test. Some myths circulate on the Internet about how some months are 'easy' months for taking the GMAT and others are more 'difficult' months for taking the GMAT. However, these are just myths - the GMAT can be written any time and the test administered in one month is not going to be easier than those in the rest.

So, how should you choose your GMAT test date?

You should choose your GMAT exam date based on your preparation level for the test and the admission deadlines that you are targeting. Essentially, by understanding how prepared you are right now and when you need to apply to business schools you can answer the question "how long should I prepare for GMAT?"

Let's break this down into the four crucial factors that impact your GMAT test date.

1. What is my target GMAT score to get an admission with scholarship?

In general, test-takers talk about scoring 675+ or 705+ in the GMAT. However, the target GMAT score need not be the same for all test-takers. Unlike exams such as CAT or IIT JEE, there is no such concept as a GMAT cut-off score. You should determine your target scores based on factors such as the programs that you are applying to, how competitive your profile is, and how much scholarship you are targeting.

Let us illustrate this process for Indian students. If you have around 3 years of work experience in the IT sector in India and you are targeting the top 20 business schools in USA, you likely have a lot of competition. When there are a lot more people who have profiles similar to yours and who are also applying to these programs, then take the "Average GMAT score" from the class profile page of the target program in the graduate business schools of interest to you. For the year 2024-2025, the "average GMAT score" is likely to be a classic edition score. Look up the percentile ranking closest to the average GMAT score and identify the corresponding GMAT Focus Edition score. For example, if the average GMAT score of a class in your target program is 703, the nearest percentile is the 89th percentile, which corresponds to a score of 645 in the current GMAT Focus Edition. Now aim to score 30 points more than the average or 675+ to maximize your chances of admission and aim to score between 50-60 points more than the average to maximize the amount of scholarship that you are likely to earn.

Remember though that such steep targets are for only some of the most competitive programs. For example, if you have 10+ years of experience and you have a profile that already stands out, you could maximize your chances of admission by scoring 10 points more than class average and can maximize scholarship by scoring 30 points above class average. Having an off-beat educational background could make a difference to bringing diversity to the MBA class and you may be at an advantage.

If you want personal guidance on setting these target GMAT scores, reach out to our counsellors on +91 95000 48484 and they will be able to help you out.

Once we have the target score determined, the next step in establishing our ideal time to take the GMAT by paying the registration fee and booking a GMAT test date is to evaluate how well prepared we are.

2. What is my GMAT Score potential today?

Have you started preparing for the GMAT yet? If not, are you familiar with the GMAT test structure and syllabus? Does the GMAT syllabus feel overwhelming or do you feel confident in your preparedness for the test?

Wherever you are in your preparation cycle for the GMAT, take stock of how well you have prepared and what your score potential today is. By that we mean, if you wrote the GMAT today, what are you likely to score in the test? If you know where you are, then the way forward becomes clear. You will be able to determine how far away you are from achieving your target GMAT score and can accordingly choose an effective GMAT study plan. You will also be able to decide when you can register for the GMAT and can accordingly choose your GMAT exam date.

There are different tools you can use in order to evaluate your test readiness for the GMAT.

1. If you are just beginning your GMAT preparation, then you may need to implement all of these tools in different stages of your preparation. Start by taking a diagnostic test. The diagnostic test at wzko.in/diagnostic will offer you a realistic expectation of how much preparation you have left to do. Plan your preparation well - Check How to Prepare for the GMAT - A GMAT Study Plan to see how to go about your GMAT preparation. Once you have learnt the concepts and established your basics, take a GMAT mock test.
2. If you are already partway through your GMAT preparation, you can skip the GMAT diagnostic test and take a mock test as part of Wizako's course. Wizako's mocks help you evaluate your conceptual clarity. If your mock scores reflect that you need to spend more time on strengthening your basics, then set aside the next 2-3 weeks to doing so and another 3-4 weeks to practice questions. When you have practiced on most of the topics, it is time to take an official GMAT mock exam from the test makers mba.com.
3. If you are already done with most of your preparation, then skip the earlier steps and take an official mock from mba.com and see how close your mock GMAT score is to your target GMAT score.

If there is a significant difference between the two (30 or more points lesser than anticipated GMAT score), then analyze your test. Understand why you made the mistakes you made, revisit your lessons, practice a lot more questions and then take another mock. Keep repeating this process until your score in the mock GMAT tests is at least 10 to 20 points higher than your target score. We want that 20-point margin to allow for test day pressures and nervousness. When your performance in your mock GMATs is consistently around or higher than your target score, you can go ahead and register to take the actual GMAT exam. Book a GMAT appointment within the next few weeks and get cracking!

A couple of things to keep in mind here

• Make sure the mock GMATs that you are using to decide on the test date are official GMAT practice tests. You can register on mba.com and get access to 2 free and 4 paid full-length practice tests.
• Many test-takers think “My GMAT is 1 week away, and I am scoring 615 in the mocks. I want a 675 in the actual test. I still have one week, I will get there”. More often than not, that does not happen. Your mock GMATs tend to be very representative of the actual score so if you want 675 and you can afford to wait, then prepare better and then book your GMAT test date rather than rushing to take the GMAT exam.

3. What are the business school deadlines that I am targeting?

It is all well and good to wait till your preparation is at its best, but sometimes you may not have all the time in the world to do that preparation. What if your business school application deadlines are around the corner? It is, therefore, also important to keep an eye on the application process. Know when the deadlines for applying to the top B-schools are and then accordingly decide on the GMAT test date.

For those that are targeting Round one (R1) deadlines in US, Canadian, and European business schools, that means that you to submit your applications by the first week of October or even the last week of September. For such candidates, writing the GMAT in May or June of the same year is ideal. For those targeting Round Two (R2) MBA application deadlines, that means that you have to ideally write the GMAT by October to meet the December deadlines. Not sure what R1 and R2 deadlines mean? Check this detailed discussion on US business school deadlines.

You can determine which deadline you want to catch when you begin your GMAT preparation. From there, you can reverse engineer the ideal time to book your GMAT exam date. Here is an infographic walking you through the different steps in the admission process and providing you with the ideal time to register for the GMAT exam.

The ideal times mentioned here based on application deadlines may sometimes not be aligned with our ideal time based on preparation cycle. For example, what if a test-taker wants to meet R1 deadlines but is only starting prep in May? Does that mean that they cannot catch the Round One application deadlines at all? Not necessarily. While the ideal GMAT exam date would be in May or June, to allow you to complete all other aspects of the application with enough time to spare, you can also technically push your test to about ten days before the application deadline in October, provided you work on the other aspects of the application documents simultaneously.

Why are you able to write the GMAT even ten days before your application deadline?

There are two types of score reports that you will get from the GMAT - the unofficial score report and the official score report for the GMAT. The unofficial score report is the printout of the score given at the test center or displayed on your test screen, right after the GMAT exam is completed. The official score report takes 3-5 working days, sometimes upto ten days. The GMAT test score in the official score report will not be any different from the score in the GMAT Unofficial score report. However, the official score report will offer detailed analytics of your test score and will allow you to compare your score with different business school requirements.

Why does having the official GMAT score report matter? You need to send your GMAT score to the schools that you are applying to, as part of your application but the unofficial score report is not accepted. Many B-schools will insist on receiving the official GMAT score report before the application deadline. Rarely, a school may allow you to submit the unofficial score report (non-official GMAT result) temporarily and then will insist on receiving the official score report on a later date. Your application may not be processed without the official score report.

That's why you can push your GMAT exam date to very close to your business school deadline but will need to take the GMAT at least 10 days before the business school MBA application deadline. As mentioned earlier, it is recommended that you write the GMAT even earlier, because you will need time to work on the application essays that you will submit as part of your business school applications. Remember, the GMAT is one crucial component of your application but not the only one!

What are the other aspects of an application and how long will the process take? This question brings us to the final factor in determining the ideal GMAT test date.

4. What are the other steps in applying to a business school? How long will writing business school application essays take?

For most business schools, applicants will have to submit, other than the GMAT score,

1. A detailed application form
2. A resume
3. Anywhere from 1 to 4 application essay questions
4. two or three letters of recommendation

Of these, (3) and (4) are pretty time consuming, especially if you are applying to several schools that have similar application deadlines. While some application essay questions can be similar across different schools, other application essays are unique for each business school (something that the school pride themselves on!). Even for essays that look similar for some schools, your answer might not be similar as each essay will need to be tailored for each business school.

Inputs for these application essays also need to be compiled over a period of time. These inputs can be introspective and involve determining your goals, your strengths, and your passions. You will also need to gather inputs through strong research and through interactions with admission committee members, students, and alumni. You can network with these people through professional social networks such as LinkedIn and by interacting with business school representatives in online information sessions and webinars that are conducted throughout the year.

Writing strong letters of recommendations would involve coordinating with your recommenders often. For each school, they have to customize the recommendations to the school's requirements. Again, while some questions are common across schools, others are not and recommenders cannot just prepare a generic "to whomsoever this may concern" letter. That means that you need the buy-in from your recommenders and that you will need to be mindful of their other professional and personal commitments and allow them a large window of time within which they can comfortably complete the recommendations.

Essentially, from our experience, the candidates who have submitted the strongest applications are those who invested around four to six weeks on preparing their MBA application. Registering your GMAT exam date to take the GMAT at least six to 10 weeks before the application deadline is ideal. Otherwise, plan your days such that you are allocating a part of the time available for your GMAT preparation and the rest of the time to preparing your MBA application documents.

How are the GMAT scores taken on different exam dates comparable?

The GMAT is a computer adaptive test that has a lot of questions built into the database. All of these questions go through a rigorous process of evaluation and are even tested for a while on actual test-takers (for whom the questions do not count toward evaluation) before being added to the database of questions used for evaluation. This means that the questions are standardized and allows the GMAT to ask different sets of questions to different test-takers, while remaining a fair evaluation for all test-takers.

Moreover, test-takers sign a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the GMAT that prohibits them from coming out of the test and openly discussing the questions that they answered or 'leaking' the questions in any other form. This policy ensures that the test can be conducted throughout the year. Furthermore, because the test database is very frequently updated, a test-taker cannot write the GMAT a second time within a 16-day window. The minimum days between attempts of test is 16 days. This policy ensures that the same test-taker does not see the same question in two attempts of the exam, ensuring overall fairness during the test.

Information on GMAT test dates in major cities in India

Are GMAT test dates available in India throughout the year? How much demand is there for GMAT exam dates and appointments? Will you manage a GMAT exam slot of your choice?

There will be differences in the availability of date and appointment time depending on various factors such as the city, the time of the year, and whether you are taking the test at a preferred test centre or online.

Some cities such as Mumbai and Bangalore have two centers while a city such as Mysore has one center. The more the testing centers, the more the number of GMAT test date options you have. However, the GMAT also has more test centers in a city because there is likely more GMAT test-takers from that city and therefore a greater demand for GMAT exam dates.

For example, on the date that Wizako wrote this article, we checked some of the GMAT exam slots available in different cities in India on the official Graduate Management Admission Council website. Bangalore has two centers to Mysore's one center - does that mean there are twice as many dates available in Bangalore? Not really! Over the next ten days, Mysore has time slots available for five GMAT exam dates (multiple test-takers can book the same time slot) but across both the centers in Bangalore, there are 8 GMAT test dates with available time slots. While Bangalore does offer more GMAT test date options, it is not necessarily proportional to number of test centers because there is probably a greater demand for GMAT exam dates in Bangalore than in Mysore.

Also, we checked for GMAT exam dates in the next ten days in April 2024. If we check for available GMAT test dates in September 2024 right now, there will be a lot of GMAT exam dates and appointments available. However, we are checking five months in advance and earlier we check, more the number of appointments that are available. For example, as of April 2024, the two Bangalore GMAT test centers offer testing on 25 days of the month, between them.

Check again in the first week of September and the situation will be entirely different. Most of the exam appointment slots would be booked and if you tried to find a GMAT exam slot for a ten day window, there might not even be 8 GMAT exam dates available, unlike April 2024. Why? Most test-takers would be attempting their GMAT exam between August and December of the year as everyone strives to catch MBA application deadlines so last minute GMAT test dates may not be available.

When it comes to appointments for the Online GMAT exam, there are a lot of slots available. On any given day, a test-taker can choose a GMAT exam slot that starts every 30 min. For example, there is an available slot at midnight, one at 12.30 AM, one at 1 AM and so on. There is no "working hours" restrictions for online exam but the test-center has GMAT exam slots only from 8 AM on any given day. Also, test-center appointments are spaced out and do not start every 30 minutes. We checked time availability for the next 10 days and for September 2024. On most dates anywhere from 40 to even 48 GMAT exam appointments are available. So, if you want to write the GMAT online, there is no dearth of GMAT exam appointments.

Of course, for a detailed discussion of whether you should take the GMAT exam online or at a test-center, please check this out.

GMAT Exam Center in India: Where to take the GMAT exam and find a GMAT test date at a test center

GMAT Exam Test Centers in Amritsar

Pearson Professional Centers-Amritsar PUN
No.2 Upper Ground Floor, SRK Mall
Passport office building, 14 Mall Road
Amritsar, Punjab
Amritsar
Punjab 143001

Pearson Professional Centers-Amritsar 2 PUN
Unit 303 and 304, 3rd Floor
Mukut House
Mall Road
Amritsar
Punjab 143001

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Ahmedabad

Pearson Professional Centers-Ahmedabad GUJ
3rd floor block A-301
Westgate by True Value, Sarkhej,Makarba
Next to YMCA Club Gujarat
Ahmedabad
Gujarat 380015

GANPAT UNIVERSITY- CITY OFFICE
Office 105, 106, Ganesh Meridian,Block-A
OPP KARGIL PETROL PUMP, CHANAKYAPURI
NR- Gujarat High Court,Sola,S.G. Highway
Ahmedabad
Gujarat 380060

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GMAT Test Centers in Bengaluru

Pearson Professional Centers-Bangalore
Pearson India Education Services Pte Ltd
Pride Hulkul, 004B, Ground Floor
No 116 Lalbagh Road
Bangalore
Karnataka 560027

Pearson Professional Centers-Bangalore 2 KAR
Prestige Atrium, Unit 101, Ground Floor
Central Street, Shivajinagar, Bangalore
Karnataka
Bangalore
Karnataka 560001

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Bhopal

Lakshmi Narain College of Technology Excellence
Kalchuri Nagar
Raisen Road
Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh 462021

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Bhubaneswar

KIIT University
ICT Cell, KIIT Convention Center
Campus-6,KIIT University, Patia
Bhubaneswar
Odisha 751024

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GMAT Exam Center in Chennai

Pearson Professional Centers-Chennai 6th Floor, Nelson Chambers, E, Block
115, Nelson Manickam Road
Aminijikarai
Chennai
Tamil Nadu 600029

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Cochin

Rajagiri College Of Social Sciences
Rajagiri School of Management
Rajagiri Valley P.O
Kakkanad
Cochin, Kochi
Kerala 682039

Muthoot Institute of Technology & Science - Site 2
Varikoli Post Office
Puthencruz
Ernakulam District
Cochin
Kerala 682308

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GMAT Test Center Address - Gurugram (2 centres in Gurgaon)

Pearson Professional Centers-Gurugram HAR
Second floor, Unit No. 214, Times Tower
M G Road, Gurgaon
Haryana
Gurugram
Haryana 122002

Ansal University
Golf Course Road
Sector - 55
Gurugram
Haryana 122003

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Guwahati

Assam Don Bosco University
Airport Road
Azara
Nowapara
Guwahati
Assam 781017

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GMAT Exam Center in Hyderabad

Pearson Professional Centers-Hyderabad
Above ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund
Near Prakash Nagar Metro Pillar C1360
3rd Floor SP Road Begumpet P 04042400470
Hyderabad
Telangana 500016

Pearson Professional Centers-Hyderabad 2 TS
Manjeera Trinity Corporate, 612, 6th Flr
eSeva Lane, Phase III, Hitec City Road
Kukatpally, Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Telangana 500072

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Indore

LNCT (BHOPAL) INDORE CAMPUS
Rau-Pithampur By-Pass
near IIM indore
Near LNCT World School Indore
Indore
Madhya Pradesh 453331

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Jaipur

Sakar Edutech Pvt. Ltd.
602/603 , 6th Floor
Arcade Mall , C - Scheme
Malviya Marg, Opposite Airtel Office
Jaipur
Rajasthan 302001

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Jalandhar

Pearson Professional Centers-Jalandhar PUN
3rd Floor, Unit-8, Eminent Mall Complex
Guru Nanak Mission Chowk, Lajpat Nagar
Jalandhar, Punjab
Jalandhar
Punjab 144001

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GMAT centers in Kolkata (2 centers in Calcutta)

BRAINWARE UNIVERSITY
398 Ramkrishnapur Road
Barasat, Near Jagadighata Market
Kolkata
West Bengal 700125

Agile Technologies And Solutions
1, Iswar Ganguli Street
VASUDEVA BUILDING; Top Floor
Kalighat
Kolkata
West Bengal 700026

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Lucknow

School Of Management Sciences
19th km stone , Sultanpur Road
Biruha Post, Kashimpur
Gosainganj
Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh 226501

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Manipal

Dr. T. M. A. Pai Polytechnic, Manipal Campus
M. I. T. Campus, Eshwar Nagar
Udupi
Manipal
Karnataka 576104

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GMAT Exam Centers in Mumbai (2 centers in Bombay)

Maharashtra College of Arts Science and Commerce
246-A, Jahangir Boman Behram Marg
Bellasis Road
Mumbai
Maharashtra 400008

Pearson Professional Centers-Mumbai
Building No.9, 1st Floor
Solitaire Corporate Park, 167 Andheri
J B Nagar Link Rd, Chakala, Andheri(East)
Mumbai
Maharashtra 400093

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Mysore

MYRA School of Business
Power Grid Road, Opp. Varsha Cables.
Infosys 1.5 Kms. Maidanahalli
Yelwala to KRS Road, opp. Power Grid
Mysore
Karnataka 571130

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Nagpur

Unisoft Technologies
2nd Floor, Parnanda Building
Above Anand Bhandar And Khadims
West High Court Road, Dharampeth
Nagpur
Maharashtra 440010

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GMAT Exam Center in New Delhi

Pearson Professional Centers-New Delhi
302/305, Ashoka Estate
24, Barakhamba Road
Fire Brigade Lane
New Delhi
Delhi 110001

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GMAT Test Center Address Noida

Pearson Professional Centers-Noida
Ground floor, 1A/1
S.B. Towers
Sector 16A
Noida
Uttar Pradesh 201301

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BITSians - there's a test center at Pilani

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Vidya Vihar Campus
Pilani
Rajasthan 333031

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Pune

GATS, Office 1
Symphony 'C', Ashok Nagar
Range Hills Rd,Off PuneUniversity Rd
Pune
Maharashtra 411020

Pearson Professional Centers-Pune MAH
517, Fifth Floor, Tower 2
World Trade Center, Kharadi, Pune
Maharashta
Pune
Maharashtra 411014

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GMAT Exam Center at Raipur

ITM University
ITM University, Uparwara
New Raipur
Raipur
Chhattisgarh 492002

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GMAT Exam Center at Ranchi

Infinity Academy
2nd Floor, Amravati Complex, Circular Road
(Beside B.I.T. Ext. Center)
Lalpur Chowk
Ranchi
Jharkhand 834001

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Surat

Bhagwan Mahavir University
SR NO 149, Ground Floor BBA Building
Beside SRM Print and Xerox
Behind VIP Road Bharthana, Vesu
Surat, Gujarat
Gujarat 395017

Pearson Professional Centers-Surat GUJ
703, 7th Floor, Swastik House
Nandi Park Society, Piplod, SuratURO University
Earthspace, Hazira Road
Opp ONGC, Next to Toyota, Bhatpore
Surat
Gujarat 394510

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GMAT Exam Center in VIT Vellore, Tamilnadu

Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)
M.G.R Block, Room No.221
Centre for Technical Support
Thiruvalam Road, Katpadi
Vellore
Tamil Nadu 632014

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Vijaywada

KL University
Green Fields, Vaddeswaram
Guntur
Vijaywada
Andhra Pradesh 522502

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GMAT Center in Vizag

Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering
Madhurawada
Kommadi
Visakhapatnam
Andhra Pradesh 530048

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Summary of Key Insights on selecting your GMAT exam date

In the final analysis, keep both your preparedness and your application deadlines in mind before deciding on a GMAT test date. Use the first factor to determine the minimum time to give for your preparation and use the second to determine the maximum time by which your GMAT preparation must be done. Ideally, you should find a sweet spot between time for preparation and earliest application deadline of your target schools. For example, your reasoning should go something like this “I am beginning my GMAT preparation in June and want to give it at least 3 months. But the earliest deadline for a B-school that I am applying to is in the first week of October. So, I need to plan and write the GMAT by the second week of September”.