Retaking the GRE: How Many Times Can You Take It Before Deferred MBA Deadlines?

Most students treat their first GRE attempt like it's the only shot they'll get. They over-prepare, delay taking it, and then spiral when the score comes back lower than expected. The whole time, they didn't know that ETS gives you five chances per year — and that the window between junior fall and senior spring is wide enough for two or three real attempts.

That changes everything about how you should approach this test.

What ETS Actually Allows

Here's the official policy, plain:

• You can take the GRE once every 21 days
• You can take it up to 5 times in any rolling 12-month period
• GRE scores are valid for 5 years from your test date

That's not a typo. Five attempts per year. Which means if you bomb your first test in October of junior year, you are not done. You have time to regroup, study specifically for the section that hurt you, and take it again in November. If that score is still not where you want it, you have time to try again in January.

For deferred MBA applicants, most deadlines cluster in April and May of senior year. If you take your first GRE in the fall of junior year — which you should — you have roughly 18 months and potentially five attempts before those deadlines.

The anxiety around "wasting" a test attempt doesn't hold up once you understand the rules.

The Realistic Retake Window for Deferred Applicants

Let's map this out concretely. Say you're a junior targeting HBS 2+2, Stanford GSB Deferred, and Wharton Moelis. Those programs all have April or May deadlines in your senior year.

If you take your first GRE in October of junior year, here's what's realistically available to you:

• Attempt 1: October, junior year
• Attempt 2: November or December, junior year (after winter break regroup)
• Attempt 3: February, senior year (after reading week or between semesters)
• Attempt 4: March, senior year (tight but possible before April deadlines)

That's four real shots at the score you need. Most students won't need that many — but knowing the runway exists means you can take Attempt 1 without treating it like your one chance.

The only thing that squeezes this window is waiting. Students who take their first GRE in March of senior year have one retry before deadlines close. Don't do that to yourself.

How to Decide Whether to Retake

Not every GRE score warrants a retake. Before scheduling another appointment, answer these three questions:

1. Did you hit the floor score for your target programs?

The programs you're targeting have published or well-known score ranges. HBS 2+2 admits typically average around 162V/160Q. Stanford GSB Deferred runs closer to 165V/164Q. Wharton Moelis sits around 164V/162Q. If your score lands more than 3–4 points below those ranges in both sections, a retake makes sense. If you're within striking distance on one and low on the other, targeted prep can move that needle.

See the full breakdown at GRE Score Requirements for Every Major Deferred MBA Program.

2. Do you know why you underscored?

"I got nervous" is not a study plan. Before retaking, you need a diagnosis: Did you run out of time? Miss specific question types (text completion vs. sentence equivalence)? Freeze on quant under pressure? If you can name the specific failure mode, you can fix it. If you can't, you'll likely land in the same place.

3. Can you study differently — not just more?

Retaking the GRE while doing the same prep as before is not a strategy. If you studied with Magoosh flashcards and got a 158V, adding more Magoosh flashcards probably won't get you to 163V. Consider changing your approach: add timed practice under test conditions, work through ETS official materials, or target a specific vocabulary gap you identified on the first attempt.

GRE ScoreSelect: Your Safety Net

Here's the part most students miss entirely: you don't have to send every score you've ever earned.

ETS's ScoreSelect feature lets you choose which test date scores to send to each program. You can send only your most recent score, only your best score, or any single attempt from your history. No deferred MBA program will ever see the 154V from your first attempt if you don't send it.

This changes the risk calculus around retaking dramatically. You are not "on the record" for a bad attempt unless you choose to be. The programs you apply to will see exactly the score you want them to see.

There are a few nuances: some programs ask you to self-report scores on the application, and a handful have policies requesting all scores be submitted. Read each school's instructions carefully. But the default for most deferred programs is ScoreSelect, and for those programs, your worst attempt stays private.

How Many Retakes Is Too Many?

There's no clean answer, but here's a practical threshold: two or three retakes is normal. Four or five starts to look like you're struggling to hit a baseline — and adcoms can ask for all official score reports if they want to, even if you only sent one.

More importantly, there's a ceiling on what retaking can do. The GRE is a coachable test, but only up to a point. If you've taken it three times and scored 159V each time, the fourth attempt probably isn't closing a 5-point gap. At that point, the conversation shifts to how your essays and the rest of your application can carry the weight.

Which brings up the real priority: the GRE is a floor, not a score that gets you admitted. Once you're above it, time spent on your essays will return more than additional GRE prep.

What to Do Right Now

If you haven't taken the GRE yet: schedule it. Pick a date in the next 60–90 days and put it on the calendar. You don't need to be fully ready — you need to get a baseline score so you know exactly what you're working with.

If you've already taken it and aren't satisfied with your score: decide whether a retake is warranted using the three questions above. If yes, schedule Attempt 2 at least 21 days out and build a targeted study plan that addresses your specific weak spots.

If you've already hit your target score: stop retaking. Move on to the parts of the application that actually separate admits from rejections.

For more on how the GRE fits into your overall deferred MBA timeline, start with When Should You Take the GRE? A Deferred MBA Timeline for Undergrads.

If you want a second set of eyes on whether your profile — including your test scores — is competitive for the programs you're targeting, book a coaching session.