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Testing Accommodations

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The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) strives to make its products and services broadly accessible. We ensure that accommodations are available for GMAT test takers who meet certain eligibility criteria and properly document their request.

Register as a Test Taker with Disabilities

Review the six steps below for information about the accommodation request process. Most importantly, read both the GMAT™ Handbook and the GMAT™ Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities carefully. The GMAT™ Handbook provides critical information that every test taker, with or without a disability, must know to take the GMAT exam. The Supplement provides additional guidance on the process for requesting GMAT accommodations by disability type.

Requesting Reasonable Test Accommodations if You Have a Disability

If you believe you have a disability that prevents you from taking the GMAT Exam under standard conditions, you may request accommodations by completing these steps:

  1. Create a candidate profile in MBA.com that captures your contact information and provides an ID number. It is important that you do not register for the GMAT until you receive an accommodation decision. A standard testing appointment cannot be changed to an accommodated testing appointment, and you cannot register for an accommodated testing appointment until and unless we approve your accommodation request. If we approve your request, we will give you directions at that time as to how to schedule accommodated testing appointments.

  2. Read both the GMAT™ Handbook and the GMAT™ Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities carefully. 

  3. Gather documentation as described by disability type in the GMAT™ Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning and Cognitive Disorders, Physical and Systemic Disabilities, Psychological Disabilities, Sensory Disabilities (Vision and Hearing).

  4. Click on ‘Apply for Accommodations’ button at the bottom of this page to complete an accommodation request and to attach your supporting documentation. We cannot accept accommodation requests that are submitted by email. 

  5. You will receive a confirmation message via email after you have successfully submitted an Accommodation Request Form.  Within 24 hours of your submission, your mba.com My Account page will also be updated to reflect any submitted accommodation requests.

  6. GMAC will send a written decision to the test taker with instructions for next steps. 

Who to Contact for Support

GMAC makes all decisions regarding eligibility for accommodations on assessments. You should email GMAC at testingaccommodations@gmac.com if you have any questions about request preparation or about an accommodation decision you have received.

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions below about testing accommodations.


Apply for Accommodations

Frequently Asked Questions

You must complete and submit the Test Accommodation Request Form located on the Testing Accommodations page. You will also need documentation appropriate to your disability, as described in the Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities.

Yes. Your disability status and medical documents are treated as confidential, as described more fully in the Privacy Statement. Various service providers assist in reviewing accommodation requests. These service providers are subject to strict confidentiality requirements.

GMAC continues to make enhancements and improvements to accommodations available for online examination delivery. GMAC reviews accommodation requests regardless of intended modality or how many times a candidate intends to take, or has already taken, an assessment. If you receive a decision letter, there will be information about the availability of your specific approved accommodations for test center and online exam delivery. A standard testing appointment—test center or online—cannot be changed to an accommodated testing appointment, and you cannot register for an accommodated testing appointment until and unless GMAC approves your accommodation request. If GMAC approves your request, you will receive directions  how to schedule accommodated testing appointments. 

GMAC encourages candidates to submit accommodation requests well in advance of the date when they wish to sit for an assessment. Every effort will be made to respond to your request within 16-20 business days of its receipt. However, the process may take longer, especially if all documents are not submitted together in a single package, if additional documentation is needed, or if you are requesting reconsideration of a prior accommodation decision.

A standard testing appointment cannot be changed to an accommodated testing appointment, and you cannot register for an accommodated testing appointment until and unless GMAC approves your accommodation request. If your request is approved, you will receive directions how to schedule accommodated testing appointments. 

No. Do not submit payment with your accommodation request. If your request for accommodation is approved, you will be asked to pay for each accommodated testing appointment when you are ready to schedule it.

After you have successfully submitted your GMAT Accommodation Request Form, your mba.com account page will reflect any submitted accommodations request within 24 hours. You will also receive an automated email confirmation upon successful submission.

No. You will be notified in writing if additional documentation is required. It is your responsibility to provide all necessary documentation to GMAC Disability Services when completing and submitting an Accommodation Request Form.

Yes. For your application to be reviewed, a word-for-word English translation must be submitted, along with the original documentation for our validation.

No. Score reports do not indicate whether a test was taken with accommodations. GMAC does not share disability or accommodation status with schools.

If your prior request for test accommodation(s) was approved within the last two years and your documentation is still current, you may request the same accommodation(s) without resubmitting your documentation. Simply complete the Accommodation Request Form.

Please review your decision letter carefully. GMAT accommodation approvals are generally valid for two years. If your approval has expired, visit  click on the ‘Apply for Accommodations’ button at the bottom of the Testing Accommodations page. Complete and submit the form and indicate somewhere in the rationale section that you were previously approved. You will also need to upload at least one document (i.e., PDF, Word). You do not need to upload all of the documentation that you included in your original request. If you have a PDF copy of your original decision letter, that would be most helpful to attach as part of your request.

GMAC reviews accommodation requests in accordance with the guidelines that are enumerated in our Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities and within the framework of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a person’s ability to perform one or more major life activities, as compared to most people in the general population. Under ADA guidelines, you could have a diagnosed condition that does not rise to the level of a disability. In addition to reviewing your supporting documentation, GMAC will evaluate the reasonableness of the requested accommodations and their effect on the psychometric integrity of the GMAC assessment you wish to take.

You should provide both objective evidence (e.g., a professional assessment) and subjective evidence (e.g., your own self-report, rationale, clinical observations). The documentation should show substantial limitation when compared to most people from the general population.

No. A diagnosis alone does not qualify you for accommodations. You must adequately document:

  • The existence of an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity
  • The current impact of your impairment and how it affects your ability to take a GMAC assessment under standard conditions
  • A rationale to explain why you believe the requested accommodations are appropriate considering your impairment(s)

Yes, as long as the ADA’s definition of disability is met. The ADA definition of disability may differ from the definition used in other laws. For example, the term “disabled veteran” means an individual who has served on active duty in the armed forces, was honorably discharged, and has a service-connected disability, or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension because of a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department. Many veterans meet both the definition of “disabled veteran” and the ADA’s definition of “individual with a disability.” Returning veterans who believe they have an ADA-defined disability are encouraged to apply for accommodations to take a GMAC assessment.

Yes. GMAC is committed to fair testing practices for all test takers. Applying the general framework of the ADA to all applicants enables GMAC to fairly and independently verify the need for accommodations.

No, a history of receiving accommodations in college (or high school), does not guarantee that accommodations will be granted on a GMAC assessment. Policies and procedures for establishing eligibility for accommodations differ from college to college, and college accommodations may involve different considerations than accommodations on a standardized examination. College disability services (DS) staff and advisers may view their role as helping students maximize their academic success and may apply eligibility criteria less stringently. GMAC’s objective is to achieve fairness of the exam process for all test takers, which is pursued by applying the ADA consistently and by providing accommodations only when the test taker has objectively demonstrated the existence of a substantial limitation as defined by the ADA.

While you may have been diagnosed with a permanent disability, the manifestations of your condition may vary over time and across settings. GMAC needs to verify the current impact of the condition on your daily functioning. For some conditions, such as most learning disabilities, documentation prepared within the past three years is generally sufficient to verify current impact, while more recent documentation may be needed for other conditions, such as psychological disorders. For physical disabilities and long-term vision and hearing disabilities that typically do not change over time, older documentation may be accepted if it provides a clear indication of your current functional limitations.

You are encouraged to request accommodations that appropriately addresses any functional limitations you experience. Accommodations are designed to provide equitable access to candidates with disabilities. Requests for accommodations must include objective evidence of a clear connection between the functional limitation and the accommodation being requested. The evidence presented must demonstrate that the accommodation is needed. Requests for accommodations not supported by objective documentation will not be granted.

If you are disabled within the definition of the ADA, you are entitled to reasonable and appropriate accommodations that enable equitable access to a GMAC assessment. Your requested accommodations will be considered, but you might not receive your preferred accommodations.

The ADA is intended to enable equal access, not to maximize outcomes. Accommodations must not provide anyone with an unfair advantage relative to other test takers. Instead, they should provide equitable access to GMAC assessments for test takers with disabilities. 

Test takers must carefully monitor their time on any GMAC assessment.  An inability to complete a GMAC assessment under standard time conditions is not automatically a reason for granting additional test time.