Updated on
By Atul Harsha, Content Manager
There is no fixed GMAT exam date, so your target school's deadline decides when you should book. The GMAT 2027 exam date is whichever slot you book yourself. Appointments run year-round, at a test centre or online, and GMAC lists them up to about 6 months ahead. This is true in India and everywhere else. There is no national exam day, no application window and no GMAT registration last date.
GMAC can change dates, fees and rules
2026-10-20GMAC says all dates and fees are subject to change. Its policy document was last updated on 12 August 2026. Read the latest rules on mba.com before you pay.
GMAC exam policiesThis page explains how to choose a GMAT exam date. It covers booking time, change deadlines, score release time and the school dates that decide your plan. For the booking steps, see the GMAT registration 2027 page. The full exam overview is on the GMAT exam page.
The GMAT exam date is your own appointment date. There is no GMAT registration last date. The dates that stay fixed are school deadlines and GMAC's change rules.
The GMAT 2027 exam date is not announced by GMAC, because the test has no fixed calendar. A search for the GMAT exam date 2026 or the GMAT 2027 exam date gets the same answer. You pick a date from the slots shown in your mba.com account. Slot availability is the only limit, and it tightens in the peak months of August to November.
| Item | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| GMAT exam date 2027 | No fixed date | Book any available slot |
| Booking window | Confirmed | Up to about 6 months ahead, as per GMAC |
| Peak season | Confirmed | August to November, when slots can be limited |
| Online slots | Confirmed | Available 24/7 in many regions, including India |
| Change in 2027 fees or structure | Not announced | None announced as of 20 October 2026 |
Any day, up to 6 months ahead
Book your appointment
Create an mba.com account, choose test centre or online, and pay.
Up to 24 hours before
Last time to reschedule or cancel
Within 24 hours no change is allowed and the full fee is forfeited.
30 minutes before
Check-in
Reach the centre or log in for online check-in 30 minutes early with your passport.
End of the exam
Unofficial score on screen
You see Total and section scores. You cannot record or print them.
About 3 to 5 working days
Official Score Report
It can take up to 20 working days. Scores cannot be expedited.
Within 48 hours of the report
Five free score reports
Each extra report costs US$35.
There is no single GMAT 2027 exam date. Every candidate tests on a self-chosen date. The GMAT exam date in India works the same way. You pick a slot at a test centre in India or online from home. Plan from your school's deadline, not from an exam calendar.
You can take it up to five times in a rolling 12-month period, as per GMAC. Test-centre and online attempts count together. So you can pick up to five GMAT exam dates in 12 months. You must wait at least 16 days between attempts, and there is no lifetime limit.
Two waits are longer. After a perfect 805, you must wait 5 years. A score cancelled for a testing issue or a violation still counts as one of your five attempts.
GMAC says availability may be limited in the August to November peak. If you aim at the peak, book your GMAT exam date as early as your preparation allows. Appointments are listed up to about 6 months ahead, as per the GMAC help centre.
The GMAT registration last date does not exist. You register on mba.com whenever you are ready, and GMAC runs no application window for the test. Slot availability is the only limit on your GMAT exam date.
Only two rules work like deadlines for a booked GMAT exam date. You can reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before your appointment. You must fix account details, such as a name spelling, at least 72 hours before the exam.
Changing a GMAT exam date costs more the closer you are to it. The fee depends on how early you change. This is as per the GMAC payment page for India, checked on 20 October 2026.
| When you change | Reschedule fee (centre / online) | Refund on cancel (centre / online) |
|---|---|---|
| More than 60 days before | US60 | US120 |
| 15 to 60 days before | US120 | US90 |
| 14 days or less before | US180 | US60 |
| Within 24 hours | Not allowed | No refund; full fee forfeited |
The exam fee in India is US300 online. See the GMAT 2027 exam fees page for payment modes and extra costs. If you miss your GMAT exam date, you can book a new exam after a 24-hour wait. You pay the full fee again.
Apply for testing accommodations before you schedule. GMAC applies approved accommodations during scheduling, and cannot add them to an existing appointment.
The GMAT has no admit card, so there is no admit card release date. Your confirmation email, sent when you book, takes its place. It is your proof of the GMAT exam date and slot. Carry it on the day, along with your ID.
Arrive at the test centre at least 30 minutes before your appointment time. For an online exam, log in 30 minutes before your slot for check-in. For a GMAT exam date in India, the only accepted ID is a passport, at both test centres and online. Read the GMAT admit card page for the full check-in list.
The GMAT takes 2 hours 15 minutes of test time, plus one optional 10-minute break. A test-centre visit lasts about 2.5 hours with check-in, as per GMAC. You must finish within 3.5 hours of your appointment start.
Your GMAT exam date and start time depend on the slot you pick. A GMAT exam date in India can fall on any day your centre offers. Online slots are open 24/7 in many regions.
| Part | Time | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Reasoning | 45 minutes | 21 |
| Verbal Reasoning | 45 minutes | 23 |
| Data Insights | 45 minutes | 20 |
Yes. You can answer the three sections in any order, as per GMAC. You also choose where to take the one break: after the first section or after the second, not both. See the GMAT exam pattern page for the full structure.
GMAC issues no answer key, so there is no answer key date. The questions are adaptive and confidential, and no candidate sees the correct answers.
Your GMAT exam date ends with an unofficial score on screen, not a key. The Official Score Report follows a few days later. Read why in the GMAT answer key page.
The GMAT result date is not a fixed day, because it depends on your own GMAT exam date. Your unofficial score appears on the screen as soon as you finish. The Official Score Report follows in about 3 to 5 working days. It can take up to 20 working days. GMAC says scores cannot be expedited.
GMAC gives two timings. The exam pages say 3 to 5 days. The help centre says five business days, and up to 20 business days. The help centre figure is more precise, so use it to estimate your GMAT result date. If 20 business days pass, use the contact form on mba.com.
An email gives you the GMAT result date by telling you the Official Score Report is in your mba.com account. GMAC scores every exam twice. If the two scoring results differ, it investigates and holds the score until the difference is resolved.
After the report is ready, you can send up to five free score reports within 48 hours. A school receives the score within 8 hours of sending. See the GMAT results page for the score and percentile tables.
The GMAT has no counselling. What replaces it is each school's own deadline, and these dates are the real calendar for a GMAT applicant. Choose your GMAT exam date so that your GMAT result date falls well before them. The dates below are from each school's own page, read on 20 October 2026. Unlike the GMAT registration last date, which does not exist, these deadlines are real.
9 Sep 2026
Stanford GSB Round 1 (passed)
Needs a test taken on or after 9 September 2021.
20 Sep 2026
ISB Round 1 score window ended
ISB had not announced its 2027-28 Round 1 deadline on the page read.
22 Oct 2026
IIM Bangalore PGPEM Round 1 closes
Only test-centre scores are accepted.
31 Oct to 1 Nov 2026
IIM Calcutta MBAEx Round 1 interviews
Round 1 results are due on 16 November 2026.
21 to 22 Nov 2026
IIM Bangalore PGPEM Round 1 interviews
Round 2 applications run from 24 October 2026 to 27 January 2027.
27 Nov 2026
SPJIMR PGDM applications close
The window opened on 15 September 2026.
6 Dec 2026
XLRI registration closes; ISB Round 2 score window ends
XLRI's XAT 2027 is on 3 January 2027.
19 to 20 Dec 2026
IIM Calcutta MBAEx Round 2 interviews
Final results are due on 11 January 2027.
6 Jan 2027
Stanford GSB Round 2
Round 3 is on 7 April 2027.
17 Jan 2027
ISB Round 3 score window ends
Tests from 18 January 2022 are valid.
27 Jan 2027
IIM Bangalore PGPEM Round 2 closes
Interviews are on 13 to 14 February 2027.
IIM Ahmedabad PGPX states only the earliest valid test dates for the 2027-28 batch. These are 2 September 2021 for Round 1 and 23 November 2021 for Round 2. Check the IIM Ahmedabad PGPX page for application dates. For the schools themselves, see the GMAT colleges page.
To fix a GMAT exam date, count backwards from the deadline. GMAC advises leaving at least 20 days before an application deadline for your score to be ready. Add 16 days if you may need a retake, since that is the minimum gap between attempts. No GMAT registration last date will stop you, but a school deadline will.
A worked example uses those two official figures. Stanford GSB Round 2 is on 6 January 2027. Twenty days earlier is 17 December 2026. A retake needs 16 more days, so your first GMAT exam date should fall by 1 December 2026. This is our own arithmetic, not a date set by GMAC or Stanford.
It can be, if you start from a baseline score. GMAC advises at least six weeks of study, and says most test takers prepare for 60 hours or more. Take Official Practice Exam 1 first, then decide the booking date.
Pick your GMAT exam date only after the baseline, and keep one spare slot for a retake. GMAC says retesting can raise a score by 20 to 30 points on average.
Appointments are year-round, and August to November is the busy season. The GMAT exam date 2026 rules are the latest in force. What changed over the years are the test and its rules.
November 2023
GMAT Focus Edition launched
It is now called the GMAT Exam.
31 Jan 2024
Old 10th Edition retired
Its scores stay valid for 5 years from the test date.
June 2025
Aadhaar dropped as ID for online GMAT
Indian candidates now need a passport at all test formats.
May 2026
Official Guide 2026-2027 published
GMAC's real-question book for the current exam.
12 Aug 2026
Policies re-issued
The rules apply to appointments on or after this date.
Aug 2026
Percentile tables refreshed
Data period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2026.
GMAC refreshes the percentile tables once a year, in the third quarter. The next refresh is expected around August 2027. This is an expectation, not an announcement.
Indians book their GMAT exam date in India or online. Indian citizens took 23,934 GMAT exams in the testing year 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025. This is as per GMAC's citizenship report. That is the largest single country, and about a quarter of the 93,196 exams taken worldwide. GMAC has not published testing-year figures for 2026 on the page read.
Nothing is announced yet on Aadhaar as an ID, rupee fees for India or any 2027 fee change. Check mba.com again before you pay, since GMAC can revise any of these.