GMAC data show that in 2008:

• Registrations for the GMAT totaled 298,734 worldwide, a 10.35 percent increase over 2007 registrations. Outside the US, registration volume was up 20.15 percent, while the US saw a 4.28 percent increase.
• The number of GMAT tests taken worldwide in the 2008 calendar year (January 1 to December 31) was 264,641 an 11.6 percent increase over 2007 numbers.
• Notably, the number of GMAT tests taken outside the US increased 21.54 percent over 2007; the number of GMAT tests taken in the US increased 5.88 percent over 2007.
• GMAT test volume in the US totaled 158,727, and test volume outside the US totaled 105,914.

GMAT test volume reports the number of tests taken, not the number of people who took the test. Approximately 21 percent of GMAT tests are taken by people who have taken the test more than once within a year. Test takers are permitted to test as many as five times within a 12-month period.