In a first, more Indian students take GRE test than Americans: Report

NEW DELHI: In a first, more Indian students appeared for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) than American students, as per a Economic Times report. The number of Indian students who wrote the exam in the 2022-23 session was 1,13,304 while the population of the United States (US) stood at 97,676, the report said.

The Education Testing Services (ETS) conducts the GRE exam every year for admission to graduate, law, and management programmes offered by US, Canada, and other countries. Indian students are required to take the GRE in order to study abroad.

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Amit Sevak, chief executive officer of ETS told ET that this is the first time in the history of GRE that a country other than the US has secured the first position in the list of GRE test takers. According to the executive, this shows the demand for GRE is growing in India.

While 35% GRE test-takers in India aspired for physical sciences, 13% chose engineering, and 29% students had not decided on the course choice, as per the report.

GRE scores in India

The number of higher education institutions including management schools in India accepting GRE scores has also increased to 100, as per ETS, the ET report added. Sevak also shared with ET that the focus has shifted to study in India with more international students coming to the country which will help globalise Indian higher education.

As per the GRE test taker report 2022, the number of Indian test takers was 1,14,647. However, the US out stood India then with 1,24,151 examinees.

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In June last year, ETS announced that the duration of the GRE general test will be reduced to two hours. Changes were also introduced in the number of questions, sections and declaration of results.

In 2022, when ETS appointed its new global chief security officer, Wallace Dalrymple, he told Careers360 that India is his top priority. “One factor is the growth of the number of test-takers in India which is a top priority and also because India takes test assessment so seriously,” he reasoned.