Round 2 is Looming. Should You Retake the GMAT?
With round two deadlines just six weeks away, you may have some doubts about the strength of your test scores. Is it a good idea to retake the GMAT this late in the process? That depends. If your undergrad GPA is high and you have a solid GMAT score, you can rest assured that the admissions committee will presume you can handle the program’s curriculum. In that case, they will move on to weigh other aspects of your candidacy.
However, a low GMAT score could pose a red flag, especially when combined with a poor GPA. So, what should you do if a) you’re an awful test taker or b) you’re not happy with your initial score? When does it make sense to try again?
Your GMAT score is just one data point from your entire package for the admissions committee to consider. But it’s often seen as proof of academic prowess and worth improving if the circumstances are right and time permits.
What If Your Score Is From the Previous Version of the GMAT?
Since the classic GMAT is no more, some applicants wonder whether schools “prefer” the current exam format or expect them to retest. They don’t. Admissions committees are well accustomed to evaluating both the older and the revised score scales.
If your existing score is strong — and still valid — there’s no requirement to sit for the current exam. The only reason to retest is if your previous score isn’t competitive for your goals, or if factors such as nerves, illness, or an unusually rough test day held you back and you believe you can meaningfully outperform it.
Partner with Stacy Blackman’s best-in-class GMAT and GRE experts and significantly increase your score. Check out our test prep services here. To request a free game plan chat with SBC’s lead test prep coach, email testprep@stacyblackman.com.
Some applicants have had trouble taking tests throughout their lives. If that sounds familiar, try a test-prep class or engage a private tutor to see if dedicated guidance helps. Also, consider taking the GRE instead of retaking the GMAT (assuming your target schools accept it). Many SBC clients have submitted GRE scores and gotten into top business schools. Take a few practice tests and see how you fare.
Should You Request a Test Waiver?
In nearly all cases — especially for applicants targeting M7 or top-15 programs — the answer is no. Waivers are not a strategic shortcut. Pandemic-era flexibility has passed, and top programs rarely grant waivers without extraordinarily compelling reasons. More importantly, a score remains a critical data point. If you are able to take the test, you should. Submitting a score almost always strengthens your profile.
If you can’t improve your standardized test scores despite your best efforts, we’d advise using the “Optional Essay/Additional Information” field within the application. Here, you can provide context that shows AdCom why you can handle their program despite a poor test score. Point to your career success or specific quantitative or analytic achievements.
Is Retaking Worth It With Deadlines Coming Up?
At this point in the season, your time is your most valuable resource. If your score is already within a reasonable range for your target schools, you’ll often get significantly more return by focusing on high-impact portions of your application — polishing essays, preparing your recommenders, refining your goals, and tightening your overall narrative. These components frequently matter more than eking out a modest score bump.
However, there are circumstances where a retake is absolutely the right move:
- You were sick, exhausted, or anxious on test day.
- Your practice tests consistently scored much higher than your official result.
- Your quant score is disproportionately low compared to your academic or professional strengths.
If any of those apply, regroup and retest—especially if you’re confident you can make a noticeable jump.
Quick Reminder: Even a great GMAT score can’t compensate for a weak recommender or underdeveloped essays. Protect your time accordingly.
Does It Look Bad to Retake the GMAT?
Don’t worry about how retaking the GMAT multiple times might look to the admissions committee. “Most students take the GRE or GMAT test two or three times — and that’s fine,” says Anthony Ritz, SBC’s Director of Test Prep. “Schools will take your highest score, and you can even cancel a bad GMAT score without a trace if you want total reassurance that it won’t count against you.”
All applicants, whether testing or retesting, will do so on the updated GMAT. Schools are not comparing older and newer versions against each other. Nor are they penalizing valid legacy scores. What matters most is whether your score—regardless of version—demonstrates that you can succeed in a quantitative MBA core.
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That said, applicants should know that some AdComs respect the efforts of candidates who make multiple attempts to bump up their scores until they are satisfied.
“We encourage you to share new scores with us even if your score doesn’t improve when you retake it,” shares Amy Mitson, director of admissions at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. “We will appreciate and view positively that you recognized this area for improvement and were persistent in trying to increase your score.”
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Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
Dana
Dana served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Columbia Business School for the Full-Time MBA program and has over 10 years of experience working in higher education. Known as a scrupulous file reader, Dana reviewed countless applications and assisted in rendering final decisions for the Admissions Committee at CBS. While leading information sessions at Columbia and on the road, Dana met and advised myriad applicants� ...
×Holly
Holly worked as a member of the NYU Stern MBA Admissions team for seven years and holds an MBA from NYU Stern. In her tenure as Director of NYU MBA Admissions, Holly worked closely with admissions teams from Columbia, Michigan Ross, UVA Darden, Cornell Johnson, Berkeley Haas, Yale SOM, and Duke Fuqua on recruiting events domestically and internationally. On the NYU Stern admissions committee, Holly conducted interviews, planned and hosted events, and trained staff on reading and interviewi ...
×Mark
Mark has been working in global higher education for nearly ten years, focusing on MBA Admissions at European programs including Oxford Said Business School and London Business School (LBS). At the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, Mark was the Associate Director of MBA Recruitment, leading the recruitment of all applicants to the Oxford MBA and 1+1 MBA programs. In this role, Mark advised countless MBA applic ...
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