The GMAT volume has only been flat domestically, internationaly the volume has grown, granted not by a huge increase like the application volumes have seen.
One point is though is that not all GMAT test takers become applicants, the % that do are on the increase explaining the surges in app volume. More and more people want to get MBA's nowadays simpy because of the financial benefits as seen by post MBA salaries and bonus's (which are on the rise) and also to switch careers among other things. The fact is an MBA will give you an edge in the marketplace (at least as of right now) and more and more people are starting to take advantage of it.
The relative class make-up's also suggests that the % of international students are also on the rise, which means more competition as well as lower selectivity rates.
johnnyx9 wrote:
I think predicting the competitiveness or volume of next years applicants is like trying to guess what the stock market is going to do. You can make assumptions and come up with a guess, but at the end of the day you may end up scratching your head.
I think it was Pelihu that pointed out that the volume of people taking the GMAT has been flat this year while applications are up a possible 150%. What does this mean? Who knows.