Canceling or Rescheduling a GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT Exam Date
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 06, 2026 • Graduate & Professional School
Every major grad and professional test charges more to change your date the closer you get to it, and none of them fully refund a cancellation.
💵 GRE: $55 flat rescheduling fee, on top of the $249 registration fee
💵 LSAT: free to reschedule by the registration deadline, then $153, then $253 (the full registration fee) the day before your test
💵 MCAT: $55 to reschedule 60+ days out, rising to $210 inside 30 days, with no changes allowed inside 10 days
💵 GMAT: changes cannot be made inside 24 hours of your appointment, and phone changes add a $10 fee on top of the standard change fee
⏱️ Missing a test date without canceling forfeits your full registration fee on every one of these exams
Why the deadline matters more than the fee
Every test maker charges a rising fee the closer you push your change to your actual test date, and every one of them treats a true no-show as a forfeited registration fee with no refund. If you know you need a new date, moving early always costs less than waiting.
Fees at a glance
| Test | Registration fee | Change fee |
|---|---|---|
| GRE | $249 | $55 flat, most locations |
| LSAT | $253 | Free by deadline, then $153, then $253 |
| MCAT | $355 | $55 to $210 depending on notice, none inside 10 days |
| GMAT | Varies by country | Varies by country and timing, plus $10 for phone changes |
How to make the change
All 4 testing programs handle date changes through your online testing account rather than by mail. Log into your ETS, LSAC, AAMC, or mba.com account, find your upcoming appointment, and select the reschedule or cancel option.
The system shows your applicable fee before you confirm, based on how many days remain before your current appointment. Pay the difference with the same card on file, and you receive a new confirmation email for the updated date immediately.
Before you start the process, confirm your new preferred date has open seats at a test center near you or in the online testing window you want, since popular dates near application deadlines fill first. Check your target date's availability before you cancel your current appointment, not after.
GRE General Test
The GRE General Test costs $249 to register in most locations. Rescheduling your appointment costs a flat $55 in most areas of the world, according to ETS's fee page .
Test takers who qualify for the GRE Fee Reduction Program pay a reduced $100 registration fee instead. Check the GRE Information Bulletin on ets.org for the exact cutoff window before your appointment, since ETS applies the rescheduling fee rather than a sliding scale.
LSAT
The LSAT costs $253 to register for the 2026-2027 testing year, which includes the LSAT Argumentative Writing section, according to LSAC's fee schedule . Changing your test date is free if you do it by your test administration's registration deadline.
After that, LSAC charges $153 for changes made 1 to 7 days past the deadline, and $253, the full registration fee again, for changes made 8 days after the deadline through the day before your test. Plan your date change before the registration deadline whenever possible to avoid paying twice.
MCAT
Standard MCAT registration costs $355, or $145 through the AAMC Fee Assistance Program. Rescheduling fees rise in three tiers, according to AAMC's scheduling fees page : $55 if you reschedule 60 or more days before your exam, $110 for 30 to 59 days out, and $210 for 10 to 29 days out.
AAMC does not allow any schedule changes inside 10 days of your exam date. If you cancel outright rather than reschedule, you get a $175 refund at 30 or more days out and $0 inside 30 days.
Fee Assistance Program participants pay reduced rescheduling fees between $25 and $85 depending on timing. All deadlines run to 11:59 p.m. local test center time on the cutoff date.
GMAT
GMAC states that cancellation, refund, and rescheduling fees depend on when you request the change and vary by location, with exact pricing shown after you select your country on mba.com. Two rules apply everywhere: you cannot change your appointment inside 24 hours of your scheduled exam time, and if you make the change by phone instead of online, GMAC adds a flat $10 service fee on top of whatever change fee applies, according to mba.com's exam policies page . Check your country's pricing on mba.com before you register so you know your exact change fee in advance.
How a late change affects your applications
A rescheduled test date pushes your score report past a program's deadline, especially for rolling admission programs that review applications as they arrive. Build in at least one extra testing window before your earliest application deadline, so a cancellation or reschedule does not force you to submit an application without a score, or miss the deadline outright. Score reports also take time to process and send to schools after your test date, so factor that lag into your planning on top of the exam date itself.
Reschedule vs cancel
Rescheduling moves your existing registration to a new date and time, and you pay only the change fee on top of what you already paid. Canceling ends your registration entirely, and you get back whatever refund the test maker's policy allows for your notice window, often less than your full fee, or nothing at all inside the closest window. If you still plan to take the test, rescheduling almost always costs less than canceling and registering again from scratch, since a fresh registration means paying the full fee a second time.