ETS, the test-maker behind the GRE, recently released a new “Snapshot of the Individuals Who Took the GRE”. With data about the more than 530,000 unique test-takers who took the exam between July 2012 and June 2013, the report breaks down the testing population by age, gender, nationality, and many other factors.
The key takeaways from the report include:
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Non-U.S. citizens now account for almost one third (32%) of test-takers. The most common place to take the GRE outside of the U.S. was Asia (22% of tests were administered there). Among Asian test-takers, 44% were from India, and 39% were from China.
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While test-takers who are U.S. citizens are more likely to be women (58% female vs 35% male), the international percentage of test-takers is disproportionately male (59% male vs 40% female). Overall, women account for 52% of the worldwide testing population.
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When broken down by age and amount of work experience, the largest group of test-takers continues to be the 18 – 22 age range (37% of total testers, up from 34% during the same time period from 2011 – 2012) and those who have 2 years or fewer of work experience (45%). This group also continues to be the one with the highest average Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning scores, when the scores are taken together.
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A full 35% of test-takers sit for the GRE during their final year of college. The next-largest section of the population is testers who have college degrees and are not enrolled in any college or university (31%). As we discussed in another recent entry, students who get the GRE out of the way while still in school give themselves a definite edge in the grad school admissions process.
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Almost two-thirds of test-takers (61%) intend to pursue a full-time graduate or PhD program, while only 5% plan to pursue a part-time program. Among people who took the GRE to pursue an MBA, 65% plan to enroll in a full-time program and 24% plan to enroll part-time.
The report also includes several pages of data on intended field of graduate study, broken down by multiple factors, for anyone who is interested in information on specific fields. Overall, the Snapshot provides valuable insight into the demographics of the people who take the GRE, and is a must-have resource for advisors and students applying to graduate school.
