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Global Study Opportunities and GMAT Volume Expanding Worldwide

Younger Test Takers, Women Driving Score Sending to Wider Variety of Management Programs

The number of GMAT exams taken around the world in the 2011 testing year reached 258,192 -- the third-highest level on record -- and included a 67 percent increase in tests taken by Chinese and other East Asian citizens compared with 2007, the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) announced today. Also driving volume is increased interest in a broader range of graduate management programs, particularly specialized master's programs in finance, accounting and management.

GMAT Score-Sending Patterns

The total number of GMAT scores sent to schools reached 750,399 in 2011, which is up 14 percent from 2007. The U.S. remains the most popular study destination for GMAT scores, however, the share of total scores sent to U.S. programs is down from 83 percent in 2007 to 77 percent. As the number of quality business schools grows around the world, this finding signals a more diverse array of options for where people are choosing to study.

More Female and Younger Test Takers

Findings from the new World Geographic Trend Report for GMAT Examinees also show the shares of women and people younger than 25 taking the GMAT are on the rise. The percentage of women taking the exam hit 41 percent in 2011, a new record. The percentage of exams taken by people younger than 25 rose from 37 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in 2011.

"This report clearly illustrates the growing diversity of management education, from the types of programs available, to the number of quality programs worldwide, to the variety of people who are choosing to pursue a degree," said Dave Wilson, president and chief executive of the Graduate Management Admission Council. "We see this diversity in the growing applications for specialized master's programs that are attracting candidates who are younger, have less work experience and are more likely to be female than the typical MBA candidate."

The data show that interest in the GMAT among females is especially prevalent in the East and Southeast Asia region (which includes China), where the proportion of women taking the exam increased from 48 percent in 2007 to 57 percent in 2011, the sharpest growth for any world region during that period. In addition, the proportion of the region's examinees who are younger than 25 nearly doubled during the period, growing from 32 percent to 61 percent.

Internationalization

During the five-year period covered by the report, the percentage of exams taken by citizens from countries other than the U.S. surpassed 50 percent for the first time in 2009 and reached 55 percent by 2011.

In a further illustration of the globalization of management education, the report finds that although schools in the U.S. remain the primary destination for nine of the ten citizenship groups studied, all but one (Middle Eastern citizens) sent a lower proportion of their GMAT scores to the U.S. in 2011 compared with 2007.

View the report. Go to www.gmac.com to see other research from GMAC.

About GMAC and the GMAT exam

The Graduate Management Admission Council (www.gmac.com) is a nonprofit education organization of leading graduate business schools and owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT® exam), used by almost 5,300 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 standardized test designed expressly for graduate business and management programs worldwide -- is continuously available at more than 550 test centers in over 110 countries. More information about the GMAT is available at www.mba.com.