How Long GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT Scores Stay Valid
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 04, 2026 • Graduate & Professional School
GRE and GMAT scores stay valid for 5 years. LSAT scores are reportable for 5 testing years. The MCAT has no official expiration, but most medical schools want a score no more than 3 years old.
🎓 GRE: valid 5 years from your test date
🎓 GMAT: valid 5 years, reportable for up to 10 years
🎓 LSAT: reportable for 5 testing years, which run July 1 to June 30
🎓 MCAT: no fixed AAMC expiration, but most schools cap it at 2-3 years
Confirm your target program's own score-age policy before you assume a score still counts
Why Validity Windows Exist
Graduate and professional programs want scores that reflect your current ability, not preparation from years earlier. Each test agency sets its own window for how long a score counts, and individual programs sometimes narrow that window further with their own policy.
Score Validity by Test
| Test | Validity window | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| GRE General Test | 5 years from test date | ETS |
| GMAT Focus Edition | Valid 5 years, reportable up to 10 | GMAC |
| LSAT | Reportable for 5 testing years | LSAC |
| MCAT | No fixed expiration, most schools want 2-3 years | Individual medical schools |
GRE: 5 Years
ETS keeps GRE General Test scores reportable for 5 years after your test date, according to ETS . Once that window closes, the score drops off your official score report and programs cannot see it, even if you ask ETS to send it.
GMAT: 5 Years Valid, 10 Years Reportable
The Graduate Management Admission Council rates a GMAT score as valid for 5 years and keeps it available for reporting for up to 10 years, according to mba.com . That 10-year window lets a business school request an older report on file, but most programs only weigh scores from the 5-year valid period in their admission decisions.
LSAT: 5 Testing Years
LSAC counts LSAT reportability in testing years, which run from July 1 through June 30, not calendar years. A score stays reportable for 5 testing years after the one in which you earned it, according to LSAC . After that period ends, law schools using the standard Credential Assembly Service report cannot see the score, though a personal copy stays available for your own records through LSAC.
MCAT: No Fixed Expiration, but Schools Set Their Own Limit
AAMC does not expire MCAT scores. Individual medical schools set their own limit on how old a score is allowed to be, and AAMC guidance notes that most schools want a score no more than 3 years old. Some schools measure that window from your application date, others from your expected matriculation date, so a score that looks current when you apply sometimes turns too old by the time you start classes.
How to Check Whether Your Score Still Counts
Log into your test account, ScoreSelect for the GRE, your mba.com account for the GMAT, your LSAC account for the LSAT, or the AAMC THx system for the MCAT, and check the exact test date next to each score. Count forward from that date using the validity window for your test, then compare that end date to your application and expected start dates.
Register for a retake early if you sit within a few months of a validity cutoff. Test centers fill up close to popular application deadlines, and waiting until your score is about to expire limits your options.
Validity Windows Do Not Affect Your Application Deadline
A test being valid does not mean a school accepts it after their own deadline. Score validity from the testing agency and a program's application deadline are two different limits. Meet both: send a score that is still valid, and send it early enough to arrive before the program's cutoff.
What This Means for Retake Timing
Plan a retake instead of relying on an expiring score if your GRE or GMAT score sits close to 5 years old and you have not applied yet. For the MCAT, contact each target school directly about its score-age policy, since a 3-year-old score works for one program and gets rejected by another.
A Score Nearing Its Limit Still Counts for Some Programs, Not Others
Some GRE and GMAT users assume every graduate or business program treats the 5-year window the same way, but individual programs sometimes set a shorter cutoff of their own. A program that wants a score less than 3 years old rejects a 4-year-old GRE score even though ETS still lists it as valid and reportable.
Read the testing requirements section on each program's admissions page instead of assuming the agency's validity window is the only limit that applies to you.
Score Reports vs Score Validity
Validity determines whether a score exists on your official record at all. Reporting determines which of your valid scores reach a school. The GRE ScoreSelect tool and GMAT's score reporting choice both let you decide which valid scores to send, but neither tool sends a score outside its validity window no matter which option you pick.