What Should You Do After Getting a GMAT Score?

Have you received your GMAT score? Wondering what to do after getting the GMAT score?  Well, worry not! Through this article, we will tell you what you should be doing after you get your scores. But, before we delve into this, let us look at what you should do immediately after completing the GMAT exam. So keep reading! 

After the GMAT Exam: At the Test Center 

It is important to note that you are provided with three kinds of score reports upon completing your GMAT exam. The three kinds of score reports are — unofficial score report, official score report, and the GMAT enhanced score report. 

Once you complete your GMAT exam at the test center, you will be able to view your raw, estimated scores. These are your GMAT unofficial scores and you will have two minutes to accept or cancel scores. If you accept your unofficial scores, the GMAC will proceed to send the official scores when generated to the universities you have authorised. But if you don’t accept the unofficial scores within two minutes, your GMAT score will be cancelled. However, if you are unsatisfied with your GMAT score, you can choose to cancel it. The cancelled GMAT scores do not appear on the score report and the GMAC will not send it to your score recipients. 

When you accept your GMAT score at the test center, you can print a copy of your unofficial score report at the test center itself if you wish to. An important thing to note is that your unofficial score report only includes your total GMAT score and scores of the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Integrated Reasoning sections. The scores of Analytical Writing Assessment are only scored later and hence, unofficial scores for the same are not available.

The official GMAT score report, on the other hand, arrives 20 days after you have written your GMAT exam. This report includes your total GMAT score, its corresponding percentile rank, and individual scores of all four GMAT sections. The official GMAT score report is sent to the universities you have authorised and it will also be delivered to your address. 

Now that you are aware of the GMAT scores, GMAT score reports and what to do once you complete your GMAT exam, let us move on to what to do after getting the GMAT score.

What to Do After Getting the GMAT Score?

Upon receiving the GMAT score, there are numerous things you will have to do to make sure your university application reaches the university before the deadline. Here are some things you should consider doing after getting your GMAT score: 

Additional Score Reports

You must have authorised a couple of universities as your score recipients. Once your official GMAT score report is generated, it is automatically sent to your score recipients. However, after you receive your official GMAT score, you might begin to consider applying to other universities  as well if the need be (as you might have a higher chance of getting admitted due to the GMAT cutoff set by a specific institution). For example, let’s say you have scored 690 on the GMAT. The universities you authorised have a cutoff of 700, but some other universities have a cutoff of 670 to 690. You will have a higher chance of getting into universities whose cutoff scores range from 670 to 690. In such a scenario, you can consider sending additional score reports to your preferred universities. However, you can only do this at an additional cost. 

If you opt for an additional score report, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Once you list a university as your score recipient, you do not have the option to remove them. So, do your research and choose wisely. 
• Additional score reports take about a week to reach your authorised university. So, make sure to cross-check your university’s application deadline.
• The cost of purchasing an additional score report is $35. This is approximately INR 2,700 per score report and is non-refundable as well. Hence, make a wise choice in selecting which universities you wish to send an additional score report to. 

Additional Documents

Almost all universities require you to submit additional documents such as official transcripts, copies of ID proof, financial statements, a copy of your CV, certificates, and your official acceptance letter. Make it a point to go through the official websites of the universities you are applying to and make sure you have all the documents. As part of most university admission processes, you will be required to upload a digital copy of all these documents. Some universities might even require you to courier a copy of these documents to the university. 

Draft Your SOP and LOR

A GMAT score is one of the many factors that influences your university application. But some other important factors include drafting a well-structured Statement of Purpose (SOP). The SOP plays an active role in your university application. A well-drafted SOP will set you apart from other students who have applied for a similar program. An SOP accompanied by a commendable Letter of Recommendation (LOR) will increase your chances of getting into the university of your choice. You could always ask a trusted professor at university or a manager to draft a letter of recommendation for you. A good LOR reflects on how good your work ethics and personal values are and how it has been noticed by your superiors, be it your professor or manager. Hence, a well-drafted SOP and LOR will add a lot of value to your university application.

GMAT Retake 

If you are having second thoughts about your GMAT score and are considering retaking the GMAT, then you should accordingly plan for it. The GMAC allows you to retake the GMAT but you can only take it after 16 days from your initial GMAT exam. It also allows you to take the GMAT five times in a year and about eight times in a lifetime. So, if you are considering retaking the GMAT, keep this in mind and plan accordingly. Preparing for the GMAT retake can get tedious and overwhelming. To avoid feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, you can make use of the GMAT Enhanced Score Report (ESR). The GMAT Enhanced Score Report (ESR) is a good source to help you prepare efficiently for your GMAT retake as it is a detailed overview of your performance in the GMAT.  However, you will have to purchase the GMAT ESR at an additional cost of $30. Once you have purchased the GMAT ESR, you can easily identify your weak areas and work on them to ace your GMAT retake.

Fee for Masters 

After you have submitted your university application, the next step would be to figure out the finances for your graduate program. Pursuing a graduate program in India or abroad can be an expensive affair, which is why you need to do a thorough research on where you would like to pursue your masters. The expenses that incur during your masters are living expenses, accommodation, tuition fees, and miscellaneous expenses. These expenses vary depending on three factors — the course, the university, and the location. You can even head over to the official website of the universities you wish to apply to and have a look at the scholarships and other financial aids offered and check if you are eligible for the same. A couple of other ways you can try to finance your masters is by taking a bank loan, taking a study loan, or financing it yourself. A thorough research into the various ways to finance your masters will help you understand which is the best way to ease your financial burden. 

We hope you are now aware of what to do after getting your GMAT score. If you are considering retaking the GMAT make sure you think it through.

All the best!