According to the latest statistics from GMAC, the company behind the GMAT, non-US test takers now account for 51% of all test takers. The unstable nature of the world economy over the past 12 months has had surprising effects on where the test is growing and shrinking most quickly.
“What we are seeing is incredible” says Dave Wilson, president of GMAC. “Countries with traditionally high numbers (such as India and South Korea) have dropped by up to 30%, while China, Germany, Canada, Switzerland and the UK all experienced increases.” Mr. Wilson feels these numbers have been affected by the state of the international economy, and specifically local currency functions. Many students in overseas countries are starting to investigate more cost effective local options, or forgoing business school all together.
Overall the GMAT is becoming more popular. 2009 saw a 265,613 writer increase; 7% over the pervious year, with the bulk of the raise coming from younger demographics. Since GMAT scores are valid for 5 years, writing the GMAT leaves the largest number of choices open to young people considering their post-secondary education options.