GMAT Testing Hits Several New Records

Screen Shot 2013-02-26 at 8.43.28 PMThe number of GMAT exams taken by US citizens stabilized in 201, according to the GMAC report. Testing peaked in testing year 2009 during the depths of the economic downturn and has since returned to more normal levels. Between 2008 and 2012, the share of exams taken by women decreased slightly to 39%, while the age distribution was largely unchanged. US citizens sent 98% of their score reports to domestic programs in 2012, essentially the same level seen in 2008.

Due to the significant total number of scores sent, however, the two% that did leave the country represented nearly 7,000 score reports. The majority of these scores were directed to study opportunities in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Canada. By 2012, Hong Kong moved to the sixth most popular study destination and Germany appeared for the first time on the list.

The proportion of GMAT score reports sent by US citizens to MBA programs has remained constant at 81% since 2010. This level is high when compared with many world regions, GMAC said.

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Source: GMAC 2012 World Geographic Trends Report

Meantime, GMAT testing among citizens of East and Southeast Asia witnessed its largest one-year growth ever in 2012. A total of 77,795 exams, an increase of more than 20,000 exams, or 35% compared with 2011. Chinese citizens accounted for 75% of regional exam- inees in 2012, the greatest share ever. Chinese prospects have helped raise the regional share of women (59%) and those younger than 25 (67%) to the highest levels of any world region.

Due to China’s growing size in the pipeline regional score-sending preferences increasingly reflect those of Chinese citizens. Of the 212,667 GMAT score reports sent by regional examinees in 2012, 77% were directed toward US schools; down slightly from 79% in 2008. In 2012, programs in Hong Kong moved into the second position for the first time and captured five% of score reports sent. Over the five-year period, programs in Canada also saw large gains in score reports received by East and Southeast Asian examinees.

Between 2008 and 2011, GMAC said there was a strong shift toward specialized master’s programs for citizens of East and Southeast Asia. This trend stabilized last year as the share of scores sent to MBA and non-MBA programs held relatively steady. Of all world regions, East and Southeast Asians sent the lowest proportion of scores to MBA programs (41%) in 2012.

The United States and Hong Kong were the top two score-sending destinations for all regional subgroups in TY 2012 except for those aged 31 and older, who made Singapore the second most preferred destination. Examinees younger than 25 sent the greatest share of score reports to the United States (80%).

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Source: GMAC 2012 World Geographic Trends Report

Western European citizens sat for a record high 18,868 GMAT exams in 2012, narrowly surpassing the mark set the previous year. Although the share of exams taken by women grew from 31 percent to 33% over the five-year period, the level remains low globally. In contrast, the proportion of exams taken by individuals younger than 25 grew sig- nificantly, increasing from 40 percent in 2008 to 53% in 2012. Only East and Southeast Asia (67%) recorded a higher level in 2012.

Western European examinees sent 28 percent of their GMAT score reports to US programs last year, down from 40% in 2008. This decrease was balanced by growing interest in regional programs. Schools in France received 16% of scores sent by regional examinees in 2012, surpassing the United Kingdom as the leading European destination for Western European examinees. Germany, moving from ninth to fourth on the top 10 list, experienced the greatest gains as a score-sending destination.

Examinees from Western Europe sent just half (51%) of their score reports to MBA programs in 2012, down from 74% in 2008. Only citizens from East and Southeast Asia sent a smaller share (41%) to MBA programs. Over the five-year period studied, the share of score reports Western Europeans sent to non-MBA master’s programs nearly doubled, from 24 percent to 46%.

Western European men and examinees aged
25 to 30 sent the greatest number of score
reports per exam taken and were also the
most likely to send score reports to US
business programs in 2012. GMAC said examinees
younger than 25 were the least likely to send
scores to the United States (17%) and were
the only subgroup that did not have the United States as the leading score-sending destination, instead preferring France.

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