The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is on track to set a new record in 2009 for the number of tests administered in a single year.
MCLEAN, VA--(Marketwire - December 17, 2009) - The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is on track to set a new record in 2009 for the number of tests administered in a single year.
The number of GMAT exams administered worldwide this year is expected to reach an all-time high of more than 267,000, eclipsing the previous record of 264,700 set just last year, according to projections released today by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).
The GMAT is a standardized exam used by more than 4,700 MBA and other graduate management education programs in almost 2,000 business schools around the world as part of the admissions process. GMAC is a non-profit international association of leading business schools that owns the GMAT.
"The unprecedented GMAT testing levels we are seeing are a clear indication of the value of graduate management education in today's marketplace," said David A. Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC. "This record volume also underscores the GMAT exam's strength as the best measure to help business schools evaluate talent."
Beyond growing larger, the GMAT testing pool is becoming more international and increasingly diverse. According to analyses of the most recent GMAT testing year, which ran from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, approximately 51 percent of the people who took the GMAT during the period were non-U.S. citizens -- the first time since the exam's creation in 1954 that test takers who were citizens of nations other than the United States outnumbered Americans.
The figures show that China and India have played a particularly large role in the globalization of management education. The number of GMAT exams taken by Chinese citizens rose 35 percent in testing year 2009 compared with the year before, to 23,550; the number is up 181 percent since 2005, when it was 8,393. Tests taken by citizens of India were up 7 percent in testing year 2009, to 30,633, capping a 128 percent increase during the past five years.
The number of GMAT exams taken by women hit a record 104,880 during testing year 2009, an increase of 36 percent during the past five years and the first time female test takers have exceeded 100,000 in a single testing year. The number of GMAT test takers under 24 grew to 79,577 in 2009, a 132 percent increase from 2005.
Testing volume among minorities is also increasing. The number of African Americans taking the GMAT is up 27 percent since 2005, to 10,751, while Hispanic American testing levels have grown 16 percent during the period, to 7,339. In addition, the number of exams administered to people with undergraduate backgrounds in fields other than business, such as journalism, medicine and English, is also growing rapidly.
More details on the GMAT testing population are in the Profile of Graduate Management Admission Test Candidates, available online at www.gmac.com.
About GMAC and the GMAT
The Graduate Management Admission Council (www.gmac.com) is a nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools around the world dedicated to creating access to and disseminating information about graduate management education. GMAC is based in McLean, Virginia, and has a European office in London. The GMAT was created in 1954 and is used by approximately 4,700 graduate management programs in almost 2,000 business schools around the world to assess applicants. The GMAT -- the only standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs worldwide -- is currently available at more than 450 test centers in over 110 countries. More information about the GMAT is available at www.mba.com.
To view a copy of this press release and video on the GMAC News Center, visit www.gmac.com/newscenter
Contact: Sam Silverstein GMAC Email: Email Contact Office: +1-703-245-4317 Mobile: +1-703-625-0467