GMAC™ History

In 1953, nine leading business schools banded together to create an admissions test for graduate business schools, and they created so much more.

Nine schools established the foundation of what we do, and you help us improve, innovate, and evolve every day.

On February 6, 1954, 1,291 candidates sat for the first administration of the Admission Test for Graduate Study in Business—now the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) exam. Today, the exam is taken more than 200,000 times annually around the world. Available in 110 countries, the GMAT exam is the most widely used assessment for graduate management admissions and the most reliable predictor of academic success in graduate business and management studies.

Since 1953, when the exam was created, GMAC has become so much more. The people, events, and innovations at GMAC over past 50-plus years have helped graduate management schools and programs worldwide flourish. Take a look at some of the milestones that span our history.

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