GMAT 2027: Exam Dates, Registration, Syllabus & Admit Card

The GMAT exam has no fixed exam date, no admit card and no GMAT cutoff. The usual CAT-style assumptions fail here. GMAC, the US body that owns the test, lets you book an appointment almost any day. You can sit at a test centre or online. You get a score from 205 to 805. GMAT score validity is five years, and the score goes only to the schools you choose.

The current test is called the GMAT Exam by GMAC. It was earlier named the GMAT Focus Edition. The 2027 in the title is for applicants who apply for 2027 admissions. There is no single GMAT exam date, because the test runs all year.

A 700 on the old 200-800 test was about the 86th percentile. The same percentile on today's 205-805 scale is a total of about 645. So compare percentiles and not totals. This comes from GMAC's concordance tables published in August 2026.

The GMAT exam is the Graduate Management Admission Test, used to apply for MBA and other business master's programmes. GMAC, a non-profit body based in the US, owns and runs it. As per the mba.com home page, more than 7,700 programmes at over 2,400 business schools trust the GMAT exam.

GMAC says the GMAT exam measures problem-solving, critical thinking and data literacy. It does not test vocabulary or grammar, and it has no essay section. The GMAT exam is taken on a computer and is in English only.

Your score belongs to GMAC, not to you. GMAC sends it only to the schools you choose. Those schools decide admission, and GMAC publishes no pass mark.

The GMAT exam is not the Executive Assessment. The Executive Assessment is a separate 90-minute GMAC test for experienced professionals who apply to Executive MBA programmes. NMAT by GMAC is another GMAC test, used in India, South Africa and the Philippines. Everything on this page is about the GMAT exam only.

Is the GMAT exam the same as the GMAT Focus Edition?

Yes. GMAC now calls the GMAT Focus Edition simply the GMAT Exam. It launched in November 2023 and replaced the 10th Edition, which was retired at the end of January 2024. Scores from the 10th Edition stay valid for five years from the test date. They use the old 200-800 scale. Never compare an old score and a new score by the number alone.

Is the GMAT exam worth it for Indian students?

It is worth it if the schools on your list accept the GMAT score. GMAC data shows 23,934 GMAT exams by Indian citizens in the testing year July 2024 to June 2025. The world total was 93,196. That is about 26% by our calculation, and India is the largest single country by citizenship.

Fit still matters. Many full-time Indian MBA programmes use CAT or another Indian test. Some schools do not take GMAT from Indian candidates at all. MDI Gurgaon says on its 2026-28 admission page that Indian candidates cannot apply on a GMAT score. Check the list of GMAT 2027 colleges before you pay the GMAT exam fee.

There is no fixed GMAT exam date for 2027. You book your own appointment, and appointments run all year. GMAC says slots are usually open up to about six months ahead. Online slots are open 24/7 in many regions. Slots can be limited in the peak season from August to November.

For admission, your school's deadline matters more than any GMAT exam date. GMAT registration is open every day, so plan GMAT 2027 around the school deadline. These are the dates schools have published for the 2027 intake, read on their own pages on 20 Oct 2026.

ISB shows only score windows on its eligibility page, so confirm its round deadlines on the ISB site. The full list is on the GMAT 2027 dates page.

How many times can I take the GMAT exam in a year?

You can take the GMAT exam up to five times in a rolling 12-month period. Test centre and online attempts are counted together. You must wait at least 16 days between attempts, and GMAC sets no lifetime limit. After a perfect 805, you must wait five years to test again.

How early should I book the GMAT exam?

Book well before your school deadline. GMAC advises leaving at least 20 days before an application deadline, if not longer. The Official Score Report can take up to 20 working days to reach you. Slots are tighter between August and November, so book earlier in those months.

GMAT Exam Dates: Frequently Asked Questions

The GMAT exam has 64 questions, three 45-minute sections and a total score of 205 to 805. GMAC offers the GMAT Focus Edition in two ways, at a test centre or online. Both use the same scoring scale and structure.

The India payment page on mba.com shows prices in US dollars. It shows no rupee price and no GST line. Any rupee figure you see elsewhere is a conversion that moves with the exchange rate. The GMAT fees 2027 page lists the GMAT exam fees for rescheduling and cancellation.

GMAT eligibility is simple at GMAC's end. GMAC sets one hard rule for the GMAT exam: you must be at least 18 years old to book it. A test taker aged 13 to 17 can sit at a test centre. This needs written consent from a parent or guardian. GMAC sets no rule on degree, marks, work experience, nationality or subject. Schools set those rules.

What is the GMAT eligibility for Indian students?

For GMAT eligibility, an Indian student needs to be 18 or older and hold a valid passport. GMAC accepts a passport as the only ID in India, at test centres and online, with no exceptions. Aadhaar has not been accepted since June 2025. Expired passports and passport renewal papers are not accepted. The name, birth date and citizenship on your booking must match the passport exactly.

Can a final-year student take the GMAT exam?

Yes, as far as GMAC is concerned. It sets no academic qualification rule, so a final-year student can book the exam. Schools then add their own GMAT eligibility rules, such as a degree and work experience. The table shows the 2027 intake rules published by a few Indian schools.

You complete GMAT registration by creating an mba.com account, choosing online or test centre, and paying by card. There is no application form and no GMAT registration window. You can register any day.

1. Create an account on mba.com with your basic details.
2. Log in, open My Account and click Register. Choose online or test centre.
3. Complete your profile. Enter your name, birth date and country of citizenship exactly as on your passport.
4. For a test centre exam, pick the centre. Then pick a date and time, agree to the policies and pay.

GMAC accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards. A declined card cancels the appointment automatically. If you need extra time or another accommodation, apply before you schedule. GMAC cannot add it to an existing appointment. The GMAT registration 2027 page explains each step in detail, with the GMAT eligibility checks.

How much is the GMAT exam fee in India?

The GMAT exam fee in India is US$275 at a test centre and US$300 online. This is as per the GMAC payment page read on 20 Oct 2026. Each extra score report costs US$35. The first five reports are free if you send them within 48 hours of your score becoming available. GMAT exam fees differ by country and are subject to change.

Is there a last date to register for the GMAT exam?

No. There is no GMAT registration last date. Only your appointment date and your school's deadline matter. Pick a GMAT exam date that leaves enough time before that deadline.

There is no GMAT exam admit card. You get an appointment confirmation email, and you must carry your passport on exam day. At a test centre, arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment. Online, log in 30 minutes before your slot for check-in.

What do I carry to the GMAT test centre?

Carry your original passport and the appointment confirmation email. Both must match your booking. GMAC also allows prescription eyeglasses without a case and a light sweater or jacket. Phones, watches, notes and writing tools go into a locker. Check-in includes a photograph and, where the law permits, a palm-vein scan. If the ID does not match, you lose the exam fee.

The GMAT exam pattern has three sections of 45 minutes each, with 64 questions in total. The GMAT Focus Edition has no separate essay or Integrated Reasoning section. The exam takes 2 hours 15 minutes plus one optional 10-minute break. You can answer the three sections in any order.

Each section is scored from 60 to 90, and the three sections carry equal weight in the total. The GMAT exam pattern page covers breaks, review rules and scoring in full.

How many marks is the GMAT exam out of?

The GMAT exam is scored from 205 to 805 in steps of 10, so every total ends in 5. GMAC gives no marks per question. Your total comes from the section scores, which depend on the difficulty of the questions you answer.

The GMAT exam asks different question types in each section, and it adapts the questions to you as you answer. GMAC does not publish the adaptive method or the number of trial questions.

Some Data Insights questions have several parts. You must answer all parts correctly to get credit for that question.

Does the GMAT exam have negative marking?

No. GMAC publishes no negative marking and no marks per question. Three things set your score. The first is the difficulty of questions you answer correctly. The second is the difficulty of those you answer wrongly. The third is the number you leave unanswered. GMAC adds that a section you do not finish is penalised. Leaving a question blank is not better than guessing, as per GMAC's list of myths.

GMAC publishes no unit-wise GMAT exam syllabus and no topic weightage. It lists the content and question types for each section, and that list works as the syllabus. The exam tests logic and analytical skills, not subject knowledge.

No 2027 change to the GMAT exam content has been announced. The GMAT 2027 syllabus page breaks down each section.

Does the GMAT exam syllabus include grammar or an essay?

No. GMAC says the GMAT exam does not test vocabulary or grammar. It has no essay writing section. Integrated Reasoning is no longer a separate section, because Data Insights replaced it.

The GMAT exam has no result day. Your unofficial score appears on the screen right after you finish the GMAT exam. You cannot record, screenshot or print it. The Official Score Report follows in your mba.com account, and GMAC emails you when it is ready. If you test more than once, the report also shows your Superscore.

The report is free. It shows your Total Score, the three section scores and a percentile for each. It also shows your performance by question type and your time management. GMAC scores every exam twice, and it holds the score back until any difference between the two results is resolved.

How many days does the GMAT result take?

The Official Score Report usually arrives in about 3 to 5 working days. It can sometimes take up to 20 working days. GMAC says scores cannot be expedited. If 20 working days pass, contact GMAC through its help centre.

How long is a GMAT score valid?

GMAT score validity is five years from the test date, as per GMAC. Your school may set a shorter limit. IIM Calcutta MBAEx, for example, asks for a score within 36 months of 1 Aug 2026. Treat the five years as the upper limit and check each school. Expired scores are left out of the Superscore.

A percentile tells you how many test takers scored lower. The table uses GMAC's data for July 2021 to June 2026. The last column shows the old-scale score at about the same percentile.

The average total on this data is about 555. The GMAT 2027 results page has the section-wise percentile lists.

GMAT Score and Result: Frequently Asked Questions

GMAC sets no GMAT cutoff. It sets no pass mark, no minimum score and no sectional cutoff. Each school sets its own bar, and several top schools publish no minimum at all. A school's own GMAT cutoff, where it exists, is a minimum score or a class median.

Read the Harvard row carefully. The school reports two medians: 685 for the GMAT (Focus) and 730 for the 10th Edition. Do not average them, and do not match a 730 with your new-scale score. The same care applies to any GMAT cutoff you read online. See the GMAT 2027 colleges page for the full school list.

Is GMAT 700 a good score?

Yes, a score near 700 is high. No total ends in 0, so look at 695 and 705. They stand at the 97th and 98th percentile on GMAC's 2021 to 2026 table. The average total is only about 555.

Is 495 a bad GMAT score?

It is below average. A 495 is at the 25th percentile, so about 75 of every 100 test takers score higher. London Business School reports a usual minimum around 555. Schools without a GMAT cutoff read the score along with the rest of your profile. GMAC says retesting can raise a score by 20 to 30 points on average.

Schools read the GMAT score together with other parts of your file, such as academics, work experience, essays and interview. The weight of the score differs by programme. IIM Ahmedabad PGPX says it accepts the GMAT Focus Edition.

XLRI shortlists its PGDM (Business Management) and PGDM (HRM) candidates only on XAT scores. MDI Gurgaon takes GMAT only from NRI applicants.

Is GMAT better than CAT for an MBA in India?

Neither is better in general. It depends on the programme. Several flagship two-year programmes in India use CAT. The GMAT exam is used for executive, one-year, Overseas Indian and NRI routes, and by schools abroad. List the programmes you want first, then check which test each one accepts.

Is the online GMAT exam accepted by Indian business schools?

Some Indian schools accept it and some do not. ISB, IIM Ahmedabad PGPX, IIM Bangalore PGPEM and IIM Calcutta MBAEx accept test-centre scores only. Stanford GSB and INSEAD accept online scores.

How Colleges Use GMAT: Frequently Asked Questions

GMAC publishes no past GMAT question papers. Real exam questions are confidential and copyright protected. GMAC does publish official practice material. Treat only that as real GMAT exam practice.

• Free: the GMAT Official Starter Kit has 70+ official questions and two full-length adaptive practice exams.
• Free: the sample questions page on mba.com has questions from all three sections with an answer key.
• Paid: Practice Exams 3 to 6 and the GMAT Official Guide 2026-2027, which has 975+ real exam questions.

Are GMAT previous year question papers available?

No. GMAC does not release past GMAT exam papers. Use the free Starter Kit instead. Do not trust any site that sells "past papers" or leaked questions. Leaked questions are a policy violation, and GMAC can cancel your score for it.