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by David@VeritasPrep » Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:57 am
Now that they've started providing the option to cancel score after seeing your score I was wondering what are the disadvantages of actually canceling your score?
Well, since you have already seen your score that eliminates the major disadvantage that used to be there - not knowing what you scored.

So you would only cancel your score if you got a low result.

The school does know that you canceled but they do not seem to hold that against you - perhaps if you canceled several scores they would but not one.

The major disadvantage would be that if you later decided to reinstate your score after canceling it (this is something that you can do) there is a fee to reinstate.

So short answer, if it is a low score and you do not want anyone to see it there are not really too many disadvantages to canceling.
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by [email protected] » Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:18 am
Hi rahulmathur9818,

Other than the "reinstatement fee" (which is currently $100), one of the downsides COULD be that most Test Takers really have no way to gauge the true strength of a performance other than some general data that can be found through internet research.

For example, if you scored 650, then would you cancel?

A 650 would be considered "below average" at most Top20 schools, even though it's about the 80th percentile overall. Some Test Takers would cancel immediately, but I can tell you that I've personally worked with people who've gotten into Harvard with 650 (or lower), so in THAT context, canceling a 650 would have been a really bad idea.

When faced with that type of decision, it's better to think more about the "range" of scores that a school accepts and not the average score of a school. It's also worth noting that Business School Admissions Officers are savvy - they understand that not everyone is an amazing Test Taker - if you have a strong-enough score and a strong overall application, then they'll consider you (and would likely grant you an interview to confirm their assessments).

This is all meant to say that you should only cancel if your score is far lower than the range of scores that your goal school(s) are likely to accept.

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by David@VeritasPrep » Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:32 am
I totally agree with Rich.

Some people may cancel a score and find after a couple of more real GMAT exams that it is the best score out of all their attempts. It is also true that you may get into a school with a score that you personally think is "not good enough."

I would reserve 'canceling' for a much lower score than you have already received - and this is the best use of the cancel. If you have a 650 and something happens and you get a 550 then having the opportunity to cancel is a good thing.

The only time I would cancel a first score is if it is way out of the ballpark. Say you are averaging 600+ on practice tests and the school you want to attend is very competitive and you see a score of 500, then you might want to cancel because that score seems to be lower than both what you are capable of and what you need.
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