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GMAT Testing Hits Record Volume

Historic Highs Also Reached With 831,337 GMAT Score Reports Sent to 5,281 Management Programs

RESTON, VA--(Marketwire - Sep 23, 2012) - Last year, which saw the launch of a new GMAT Integrated Reasoning section, was a record year for the GMAT exam. A total of 286,529 GMAT exams were taken, with 831,337 score reports sent to 5,281 graduate business and management programs around the world -- all historic highs, the Graduate Management Admission Council has announced.

GMAT exam volume for the 2012 testing year (July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012), was up 11 percent from the 2011 testing year, and 8 percent higher than the previous record of 265,613 in 2009.

"2012 was a remarkable year," said David Wilson, GMAC president and CEO. "GMAT testing rose from 2011 to 2012 in all world regions. The number of programs receiving GMAT scores rose to an all-time high. And we and our partners were able to scale our systems and delivery to individual test takers seamlessly to accommodate the high demand for the exam in the spring."

"Today's global students -- who may be a citizen of one country, study in second and choose to work in a third -- recognize the significance and the superiority of the GMAT exam in gaining admission to the best management programs around the world," Wilson added. "The record volume reflects an increase in graduate-level business and management programs that use GMAT exam to support their admissions decisions, in both MBA and other programs."

"Business and management skills are needed more than ever in an ever increasing variety of organizations. Business schools have responded by offering a deeper portfolio of programs to meet these diverse needs," Wilson said. "The number of score reports sent to MBA and other programs were both up, but those to the specialized masters programs grew even faster."

The record volume partially reflects increased interest in the exam brought on by the addition of the Integrated Reasoning section on June 5, 2012. Historically, test volume rises just before changes are made to a standardized exam as test takers opt for a familiar format at the transition.

Key trends:

  • The 2012 testing year was a record year for GMAT volume, score reports sent, and number of programs receiving scores. Globally, 286,529 GMAT exams were taken, with 831,337 GMAT score reports sent to 5,281 programs.
  • The number of programs receiving scores was up 7 percent from 2011 and 21 percent from 2008.
  • Roughly 560,000 GMAT score reports were sent to MBA and EMBA programs, and 240,000 scores went to other masters programs (such as accounting, finance, and management) in testing year 2012.
  • GMAT testing outside of the United States continues to grow quickly. Tests taken by non-US citizens rose 19 percent in 2012 and represented 59 percent of global GMAT volume.
  • Chinese test takers, the second-largest citizenship group after the US, represented 20 percent of global testing. In 2012, the number of exams taken by Chinese citizens increased 45 percent to 58,196 exams.
  • Indian citizens, the third-largest citizenship group, took 30,213 GMAT exams, a figure that increased 19 percent in 2012.
  • The percentage of exams taken by women hit 42.9 percent in 2012 -- a record for the third straight year.
  • US metro areas observing increases in GMAT testing among residents included New York City and Los Angeles (up 8 percent), Chicago and Boston (up 4 percent), and Washington, DC (up 10 percent) in testing year 2012.

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (gmac.com) is a non-profit education organization of the world's leading graduate business schools and owner of the GMAT® exam, accepted by more than 5,400 graduate business and management programs worldwide. GMAC is based in Reston, Virginia, and has regional offices in London, New Delhi and Hong Kong. The GMAT exam -- the only worldwide standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs -- is available more than 250 days a year at approximately 600 test centers in more than 110 countries. More information about the GMAT exam is available at mba.com. Go to gmac.com/newscenter and follow @GMACNewsCenter on Twitter.