November 2004 saw a sharp increase in test taking, particularly outside the United States, where testing volume was 33.9% higher than it was in November 2003. In the United States, the year-over-year comparison was also favorable, with U.S. test taking up 2.6% in November 2004, compared with November 2003. Whether these increases mark a trend remains to be seen, but we will be watching closely.
|
|
November 2004 |
November 2003 |
November 2002 |
November 2001 |
|
United States |
12,479 |
12,164 |
12,928 |
15,516 |
|
Non-U.S. |
7,391 |
5,520 |
7,090 |
8,951 |
|
Worldwide |
19,870 |
17,684 |
20,018 |
24,467 |
Table 1. Four-year trend in November GMAT® volume.
International GMAT® volume in November was driven by particularly large jumps in France, Italy, and Turkey. Testing activity also rose significantly in India, Thailand, and Taiwan.
Test Registrations Surge in November
Another positive indication is showing up in the form of surging test registration during November. Monthly registration for the GMAT® in the United States rose 8.3% compared with November 2003; non-U.S. registration jumped by an even larger 21.5%. Although an increase in the number of reservations from people interested in taking the GMAT® is no guarantee of a corresponding increase in testing volume, it does suggest that the number of tests administered is poised for improvement.
Cumulative Year-to-Date Test Volume Down Slightly
Looking at year-to-date test volume for 2004, compared with the same period of 2003, we are still lagging last year’s volume. Worldwide GMAT® volume came in at 181,991 as of November 30; that’s a 6% drop from year-to-date volume at the same point last year. U.S. test volume was 123,971, a 4.9% decline from the same period of 2003. Non-U.S. volume was 58,020, down 8.2% from 2003.
|
|
November 2004 |
November 2003 |
November 2002 |
November 2001 |
|
United States |
123,971 |
130,363 |
146,110 |
136,754 |
|
Non-U.S. |
58,020 |
63,190 |
76,404 |
77,014 |
|
Worldwide |
181,991 |
193,553 |
222,514 |
213,768 |
Table 2. Four-year trend in year-to-date test volume.
GMAT® volume is one indicator of future application volume, but it is by no means a perfect predictor. GMAC® takes two looks at volume each year in our Application Trends Survey, which we conduct in February and June. We will bring you preliminary results of the February survey in a future issue of Deans Digest.
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