How Many Times You Can Take the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 04, 2026 • Graduate & Professional School
Each grad and professional school test caps how often you can sit for it. The GRE allows 5 attempts a year with no lifetime cap. The GMAT Focus Edition allows 5 attempts a year with no lifetime cap. The LSAT allows 5 attempts in the current scoring period and 7 in a lifetime. The MCAT allows 3 a year, 4 over two years, and 7 in a lifetime.
🎓 GRE: once every 21 days, up to 5 times per rolling 12 months, no lifetime limit
🎓 GMAT Focus Edition: once every 16 days, up to 5 times per rolling 12 months, no lifetime limit
🎓 LSAT: up to 5 times in the current reportable score period, 7 times in a lifetime
🎓 MCAT: up to 3 times per testing year, 4 times over 2 consecutive years, 7 times in a lifetime
📩 Programs see every reportable attempt unless you use a cancellation option before scores post
Retake limits by test
Every major graduate and professional admissions test limits how often you can sit for it. The rules cover a rolling window, a multi-year window, or a lifetime count, and some tests use all three. Knowing the numbers before you register helps you plan a retake strategy instead of running into a blocked registration a week before a deadline.
| Test | Rolling window | Multi-year window | Lifetime limit | Minimum wait between attempts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRE General Test | 5 times per 12 months | None specified | None specified | 21 days |
| GMAT Focus Edition | 5 times per 12 months | None specified | None specified | 16 days |
| LSAT | Not applicable | 5 times in the current reportable score period | 7 times | Set by LSAC test dates |
| MCAT | Not applicable | 4 times over 2 consecutive testing years | 7 times (counted from April 2015) | Set by AAMC test dates |
The GRE General Test lets you register once every 21 days, capped at 5 attempts within any rolling 12 month period. ETS does not publish a lifetime cap, so a student who spreads out attempts over several years faces only the 21 day and 5 per year rules.
The GMAT Focus Edition follows a similar structure. GMAC allows up to 5 attempts in a rolling 12 month period with a 16 day wait between sittings, and it removed its old lifetime attempt cap. GMAT scores stay valid for 5 years from your test date, so an old score can still count toward a future application even if you stop retesting.
The LSAT works differently. LSAC caps you at 5 attempts within the current reportable score period, which has applied since July 2021, and at 7 attempts total over your lifetime. If you hit either limit, LSAC has an appeal process for extraordinary circumstances, but approval is not guaranteed.
The MCAT has the tightest structure of the four. AAMC limits you to 3 attempts in a single testing year, 4 attempts across any 2 consecutive testing years, and 7 attempts in your lifetime, counted starting from the April 2015 administration. You can also hold only one scheduled MCAT appointment at a time.
What programs see when you retest
Retake limits control how many scores exist. What admissions committees see is a separate question, and it depends on each test's score reporting rules. The LSAT gives you a Score Preview window to cancel a score before it becomes reportable, so a cancelled attempt does not count against your visible history to schools even though it still uses up one of your attempts. The GRE and GMAT let you view your unofficial score at the test center or immediately after an at-home exam and decide whether to keep or cancel it in some circumstances, so check the current policy for your test format before you sit down.
Because these limits are firm, treat each attempt as a real one. Build a study timeline that gets you to your target score in 1 or 2 sittings rather than planning to test repeatedly until the number improves.